>OME  RUSSJAN  HEROES 
SAINTS  &  SINNERS 


SOME  RUSSIAN   HEROES 
SAINTS  AND  SINNERS 

LEGENDARY  AND  HISTORICAL 


BY 

SONIA    E.   HOWE 

AUTHOR   OF 

'A   THOUSAND   YEARS   OF    RUSSIAN    HISTORY,"    "THE   FALSE   DMITRI 
A  RUSSIAN   ROMANCE  AND  TRAGEDY" 


WITH  FORTT-FOUR  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PHILADELPHIA 

J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT   COMPANY 
1917 


J/ 


PRINTBD   IN    GREAT    BRITAIN    BY 

RICHARD  CLAY  &  SONS,  LIMITED, 

BRUNSWICK  ST.,  STAMFORD  ST.,  S.E., 

AND  BUNGAY,  SUFFOLK. 


TO   THE   MEMORY   OF   ALL    HEROIC   SOULS 
THAT   HAVE   ENRICHED   THE   STORY   OF    RUSSIAN    LIFE 

IN   THE   PAST 
THESE   TALES   ARE   OFFERED 

AND 

IN    HONOUR   OF   THE   PATIENT,    GREATLY   DARING 
RUSSIAN   SOLDIER   OF   TO-DAY 


AUTHOR'S    PREFACE 

WHILE  my  first  book,  A  Thousand  Tears  of  Russian 
History^  was  an  attempt  to  trace  on  a  large  canvas  the 
broad  outlines  of  Russia's  political  development,  and 
to  sketch  in  the  figures  of  rulers  who  stamped  their 
personality  on  their  era,  this  volume  aims  at  the 
elaboration  of  some  of  these  portraits,  and  also  at 
filling  in  other,  secondary,  figures  which  give  fulness 
to  the  general  effect,  and  life  to  the  picture. 

As  Russia  has  so  many  more  national  heroes, 
legendary  as  well  as  historical,  than  those  portrayed 
in  the  following  pages,  the  qualifying  word  "Some" 
had  to  appear  in  the  title.  There  are  many  other 
martial  heroes  whose  deeds  are  chronicled  in  the 
annals  of  her  history,  as  well  as  numerous  noble  and 
heroic  souls  whose  names  stand  for  all  that  makes 
life  worth  living  ;  there  is  a  whole  galaxy  of  saints 
— not  canonized  by  the  Church — whose  memory  has 
been  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  witnessed 
their  Christ-like  lives,  and  a  gallery  could  be  filled  with 
portraits  of  interesting  sinners. 

The  few  characters  set  forth  in  chronological  sequence 
in  this  volume  must,  however,  suffice  for  the  present. 
Of  necessity  only  those  historic  personalities  have  been 
selected  who  are  types  of  their  generation  and  proto- 
types of  the  Russians  of  to-day.  It  may  surprise 
some  not  to  find  special  chapters  devoted  to  Boris 


viii  AUTHOR'S   PREFACE 

Godounov  and  Avvakum ;  these  I  had  prepared,  but 
when  my  MS.  was  complete,  the  limits  of  space,  which 
the  publishers  decided  to  adopt,  made  it  necessary 
for  me  either  to  omit  some  chapters  altogether,  or 
to  compress  them  all.  1  chose  the  former  plan,  but 
hope  to  publish  the  two  monographs  at  some  future 
time. 

Since  temperament  changes  little  with  the  centuries, 
it  is  hoped  that  these  tales  may  help  to  make  the 
present  generation  of  Russians  better  understood — the 
bravery  of  the  fighting  men,  the  patient  endurance  of 
hardship  by  the  masses,  the  deep  religious  feeling  of 
the  people — no  less  than  the  moral  courage  and 
strength  of  conviction  displayed  by  those  who  have 
suffered  in  the  cause  of  liberty. 

In  order  to  convey  a  correct  impression  of  the 
position  the  individuals  portrayed  in  this  book  hold  in 
the  mind  of  the  Russian  people,  and  to  give  a  true 
picture  of  their  character  and  influence,  not  merely 
historical  works  or  official  records,  but  folklore  and 
legend,  as  •  well  as  contemporary  narratives  and  de- 
scriptions, foreign  and  native,  have  been  searched  out, 
studied,  and  in  certain  instances  quoted  in  extenso. 

The  illustrations  have  been  taken  from  various 
sources — initials  and  tail-pieces  from  ancient  Russian 
MSS.  and  from  contemporary  works  on  Russia,  while 
the  plates  are  mostly  copies  of  pictures  by  modern 
Russian  artists. 

My  thanks  are  once  more  due  to  the  same  friends 
who  so  kindly  assisted  me  in  my  first  effort. 

I  hope,  in  a  third  book,  to  supply  a  more  detailed 
background  to  the  picture  of  Russian  life  ;  in  fact, 


AUTHOR'S   PREFACE  ix 

to  deal  with  the  history  of  Russian  civilization  from 
the  earliest  period  up  to  the  time  of  Peter  the  Great, 
when  Muscovy  began  to  come  into  line  with  the  West. 
This  series  will,  1  trust,  supply  such  information  as 
may  be  desired  by  lovers  of  that  Russia  which  is  thus 
described  by  the  poet — 

"  Never  can  the  reason  master, 
Never  shall  the  foot-rule  measure 
Russia's  own  peculiar  essence — 
Faith  alone  can  fathom  Russia." 

SONIA  E.  HOWE. 

St.  Lukis  Vicarage, 
May  $th,   1916. 


CONTENTS 

CHAP.  PAGE 

AUTHOR'S  PREFACE v 

I      PREHISTORIC   RUSSIA            ......  I 

II      OLEG   THE   WISE 14 

III  HOW     OLGA,     PRINCE     IGOR'S     WIDOW,     AVENGED     HIS 

DEATH,     AND     HOW     SHE     VISITED      THE      GREEK 
EMPEROR   AT   CONSTANTINOPLE      .  .  .  .24 

IV  HOW    VLADIMIR,  "FAIR   SUN,"   BECAME   ST.    VLADIMIR.  36 

V      PREDSLAVA     AND     GRADISLAVA,     DAUGHTERS    OF    THE 

PRINCE   OF   POLOTSK 55 

VI      THE   MONGOL   INVASION   AND   ALEXANDER   NEVSKI         .  69 

VII      DMITRI     DONSKOI     AND     THE     BATTLE     OF     KULIKOVO  Q2 

VIII      SERGEI    RADONEJSKI,    THE    "WONDERFUL   OLD    MAN".  108 

IX      IVAN  THE   TERRIBLE  AND  THE   METROPOLITAN   PHILIP  127 

X      HOW   YERMAK    CONQUERED   SIBERIA    .            .            .            .  1Q2 

XI      THE   FALSE   DMITRI 228 

XII      PATRIOTS   ALL 29 1 

XIII      THE     PROTOPOPE     AVVAKUM     AND     THE     BOYARYIN1A 

MOROZOV 323 

EPILOGUE 360 

LIST   OF   AUTHORITIES 365 


PRESERVATION 
COPY  A9&ED 
ORIGINAL  TO  BE  — 
RETAINED 


^161595 


LIST   OF   PLATES 


FUNERAL  OF  A  RUSSIAN   PRINCE         ....     Frontispiece 
From  the  fresco  by  G.  T.  Semiradski,  on  a  wall  of  the  Russian 
Historical  Museum  of  Moscow. 

To  fact  page 

OLEG   THE   WISE l8 

From  the  drawing  by  Bilibin. 

PROCESSIONAL   IMAGE   OF   THE   VIRGIN   OF   SMOLENSK  .  .         30 

In  the  Archangel  Cathedral  of  Moscow. 

"BOGATYRI."    THREE  BOLD  KNIGHTS         ....       46 

From   the   painting    by  V.    M.   Vaznetsov,    in    the    Tretyakov 
Gallery,  Moscow. 

ALEXANDER   NEVSKI    BEFORE   GOING   INTO    BATTLE         .  .         80 

From  the  painting  by  Kramskoi. 

DMITRI    DONSKOI    BEING   BLESSED    BY   SERGEI    RADONEJSKI   .       IOO 
From  the  painting  by  N.  Novoskoltsev. 

THE   LABOURS   OF   SERGEI Il8 

From  the  painting  by  M.  B.  Nesterov,  in  the  Tretyakov  Gallery, 
Moscow. 

THE   LAST   MOMENTS   OF   THE   METROPOLITAN    PHILIP  .  *       176 

From  the  painting  by  N.  Novoskoltsev. 

IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  .  .  .  .  .  .  1 86 

From  the  painting  by  V.  M.  Vaznetsov,  in  the  Tretyakov  Gallery, 
Moscow. 

THE  CONQUEST   OF   SIBERIA  ......       2OO 

From  the  painting  by  V.  J.  Sourikov,  in  the  Emperor  Alexander  III 
Museum,  Petrograd. 

STATUE    OF    YERMAK  .......       22O 

By  Antakolski. 

ZAPOROGIAN   COSSACKS 250 

From  the  painting  by  J.  E.  Repin,  in  the  Emperor  Alexander  III 
Museum,  Petrograd. 


xiv  LIST   OF   PLATES 

To  face  page 

"COMING" — A  MOSCOW  CROWD 270 

From  the  painting  by  Ryaboushkin,  in  the  Emperor  Alexander  III 
Museum,  Petrograd. 

OLD      MOSCOW.         THE      CATHEDRAL      PLACE      WITHIN      THE 

KREMLIN    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY       t  .      312 

From  a  contemporary  drawing. 

PRESENTATION   OF   THE   CROWN   TO    MICHAEL    ROMANOFF       .       320 

THE   BOYARYINIA    MORO2OV ,      340 

From  the  painting  by  V.  J.  Sourikov,  in  the  Tretyakov  Gallery, 
Moscow. 


SOME    RUSSIAN    HEROES 
SAINTS   AND   SINNERS 


SI 

<  .2 


31 

D  H 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 
IN   THE   TEXT 


PAGE 

ARCHAIC   GOLD   ORNAMENT I 

Excavated  in  1763  in  the  Cherson  Government. 

SCYTHIAN    TAMING   HORSES  .  .  ...  .  .13 

From  a   large  silver  vase  of  the  fourth  century  B.C.   excavated 
near  the  Dnieper. 

WARRIOR 14 

From  a  fresco  in  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Sophia,  Kiev. 

VIKING  SHIP 23 

GREEK   GRIVNA,    OR    IKON  .......         24 

Worn  on  a  chain,  tenth  century. 

CROSS .  -35 

From  the  illuminated  .cover  of  a  Byzantine  Gospel  of  the  tenth 
century. 

GROUP   OF   WARRIORS  .......         36 

From  a  fresco  in  the  cupola  of  St.  Sophia,  Kiev,  eleventh  century. 

THE    COIN    OF    VLADIMIR 54 

Discovered  in  1812.     On  the  obverse  is  written:  "Vladimir  his 
Golden  Coin";  on  the  reverse  :  "Jesus  Christ." 

RUSSIAN    PRINCESS       .  .  .  .  .  .  .  -55 

Fresco  from  the  staircase  in  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Sophia,  Kiev, 
eleventh  century. 

ILLUMINATION   .........         68 

From  a  Russian  MS.  Gospel  of  1 164,  in  the  Roumyantsev  Museum, 

Moscow. 
\ 

CASTLE   OF   NOVGOROD,    "  WELIKI-NOVGOROD  "        ...         69 
From  an  engraving  in  Olearius's  Travels,  1635. 

TATAR    ON    HORSEBACK          .  .  .  .  .  .  -91 

From  Ides-Isbrant,  Three  Years'  Travel,  1706. 

xv 


xvi  LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

WARRIORS    RIDING    INTO    BATTLE  .  ...         92 

From  the  Life  of  Boris  and  Gleb,  fourteenth  century  MS. 

BANNER  OF  DMITRI  DONSKOI,  WITH  THE  IKON  OF  OUR  LORD       107 

ILLUMINATION   ,  . 108 

From  a  Russian  MS.  of  the  Gospels,  fourteenth  century,  now  in  the- 
Voskresensk  Monastery,  or  "  New  Jerusalem,"  in  the  Govern- 
ment of  Moscow. 

CLERGY    AND   LAITY   AT   MEAL 126 

From  a  fourteenth  century  MS. 

CHURCH   OF   VASSILI    BLAJENYI,    1 55 $-1560  .  .  .127 

THE   TSAR   IVAN   RECEIVING   VISITORS  .  .  .  .191 

From  the  MS.  Chronicle  Tsarstvennaya  Kneega,  describing  the 
events  of  the  reign  of  Ivan  IV  from  the  years  1533-1553. 

RUSSIANS    CARRYING    BUNDLES   OF   SABLE   SKINS  .  .192 

Taken  from  the  facsimile  of  a  contemporary  woodcut  representing 
the  Russian  Embassy  to  Regensburg  in  1576. 

RUSSIAN   SLEDGE 227 

From  an  engraving  in  Baron  Herberstein's  Muscoviter  Wunderbare 
Historien,  1567. 

FOREIGN    MERCENARY 228 

By  De  Gheyn,  after  Goltzius,  1558-1617. 

THE   SMALL   PALACE 291 

Built  by  Dmitri  for  himself  and  Marina,  1605.  From  Isaac  Massa's 
Histoire  des  Gucrres  de  la  Moscovie,  1610. 

NIJNI-NOVGOROD 292 

From  an  engraving  in  Olearius's  Travels,  1635. 

CATHEDRAL     OF     THE      TRINITY     OF     THE     TROITSA-SERGEI 

MONASTERY 321 

Built  in  1423. 

FIGURE   OF    PRIEST 322 

From  an  engraving  in  Baron  Herberstein's  Muscoviter  Wunderbare 
Historien,  1567. 

LADIES   DRIVING 359 

From  the  MS.  Chronicle  Tsarstvennaya  Kneega  of  the  sixteenth 
century. 

THE   USPENSKI    SOBOR   OF   MOSCOW 360 

Built  by  Fiorovante  of  Bologna  in  1475-1479  by  order  of  the 
Tsar  Ivan  III. 

DETAIL   OF   THE    KREMLIN    IN    1600      .  .  .  .       363 


SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES,  SAINTS 
AND    SINNERS 


CHAPTER    I 

PREHISTORIC    RUSSIA 

URING  the  course  of 
centuries,  many  nations 
and  tribes  had  swept 
like  waves  of  the  sea 
over  the  vast  plains  of 
South-eastern  Europe. 
In  the  earlier  years  of 
the  era  with  which  we 
are  dealing,  the  Slav 
tribes  penetrated  into 
Europe,  settling  on 

ARCHAIC  GOLD  ORNAMENT.  r   i 

tracts  of  land  deserted 
the   preceding    races,    who    had    either    migrated 
ther  west  or  had  ceased  to  exist  altogether  ;    and 
there,    where    in    classic    times    the    Scythians    and 
matians    had    lived,    the    Slavs    now    became    the 
predominant  race.     As  time  went  on,  some  of  these 
tribes   pushed   on    further    west,    north    and    south 

B  ' 


•i  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

and  formed  a  wedge  between  the  Teutonic  tribes  in 
the  west,  the  Finnish  in  the  north  and  north-east, 
and  the  Greeks  in  the  south.  During  this  process 
of  colonization  they  absorbed  certain  of  the  Finnish 
tribes,  permeated  others,  and  in  some  cases,  as  in  the 
Balkan  Peninsula,  they  gradually  ousted  the  original 
inhabitants.  Between  them  and  their  Teutonic  neigh- 
bours, however,  no  fusion  was  possible  ;  for  there  has 
always  been,  from  earliest  times,  an  insurmountable 
barrier  of  race  antagonism. 

Later  on  the  Slavonic  race  split  up  into  various 
nations,  each  consisting  of  many  tribes,  one  of  which 
the  Polyans,  or  "  People  of  the  Plains,"  formed  the 
nucleus  of  the  future  Russian  nation.  In  close 
relation  to  the  Polyans  stood  the  Drevlyans,  the 
Krivitchi,  the  Siviryans,  the  Tivertse  and  Dulibes,  all 
of  whom  were  eventually  amalgamated  into  the 
Russian  nation. 

The  cradle  of  this  new  nation  was  the  narrow  strip 
of  land  on  the  middle  reaches  of  the  mighty  river 
Boristhenes  or  Dnieper,  where  Kiev  now  stands.  It 
has  been  suggested  that  the  name  "  Russ  "  was  derived 
from  the  tributary  of  that  name  which  flows  into  the 
Dnieper.  The  exact  origin  of  the  Russian  people  is, 
however,  shrouded  in  mystery,  and  authentic  informa- 
tion concerning  the  Russians  of  prehistoric  days  has 
come  down  to  us  only  through  the  writings  of  certain 
Byzantine  Emperors  or  through  reports  of  Jewish  and 
Arab  merchants  ;  for  the  earliest  contact  between  the 
Slavs  of  the  Dnieper  region  and  other  nations  appears 
to  have  been  primarily  commercial. 

There  on  the  northern  shores  of  the  Euxine,  where 


PREHISTORIC   RUSSIA  3 

Balaclava,  Inkerman  and  Perekop  now  stand,  first 
Phoenician  and  then  Greek  colonists  had  penetrated 
into  the  hinterland.  Inside  the  funeral  mounds 
(tumuli)  of  the  earliest  periods,  archaeologists  have 
found  evidence  of  this  intercourse  with  ancient  Greek 
civilization. 

At  a  later  date  it  was  Byzantium  which  sent  her  mer- 
chandise into  South-eastern  Europe,  and  Byzantine 
silversmiths  and  goldsmiths  wrought  curious  devices 
for  the  Slavonic  barbarians,  who  loved  to  adorn  them- 
selves with  enamelled  or  jewelled  ornaments  and  with 
gorgeous  silks  woven  by  Greek  hands.  Byzantine 
merchants  were,  however,  forbidden  to  sell  to  the 
Russian  traders  any  roll  of  silk  material  worth  more 
than  fifty  pieces  of  gold  ;  evidently  such  rare  silks 
were  to  be  kept  for  the  exclusive  use  of  the  Byzantine 
elite.  In  return  for  these  articles  of  luxury,  the 
Russian  merchants  brought  to  the  great  city  on  the 
Bosphorus  the  more  homely  products  of  their  native 
country — woodwork,  honey,  wax,  furs,  linen,  and,  last 
but  not  least,  slaves. 

The  middle-men  for  the  slave-trade  were  mostly 
Jews  ;  "the  fair  Russian  maidens  of  whom  they  had 
to  dispose  were  much  in  demand,  and  their  charms 
have  been  vividly  described  by  Persian  connoisseurs 
of  female  beauty. 

In  order  to  reach  the  world-market  of  Byzantium, 
Russian  traders  had  to  undertake  a  long,  tedious  and 
perilous  journey  in  little  boats  which  the  forest- 
dwellers  prepared  by  thousands  during  the  long, 
dreary  winter.  In  spring-time  these  were  brought 
to  Kiev,  the  commercial  and,  later  on,  also  the 


4  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

strategic  centre  of  the  new  State — the  "  Russian 
Land."  There  merchants  from  all  parts  of  the 
country  met,  and,  having  purchased  at  a  kind  of 
fair  the  goods  brought  thither  by  hunters  and  woods- 
men, they  provided  themselves  with  boats  and  started 
off  in  large  parties  down  the  Dnieper  to  the  great 
markets  of  the  South. 

These  expeditions  were  by  no  means  light  or  simple 
undertakings,  but  were  full  of  danger  and  vicissitudes, 
for  over  the  vast  steppes  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
river  roamed  the  wild  Petchenegs,  who  attacked  and 
robbed  the  river  caravans  whenever  possible,  and  in 
order  to  safeguard  themselves  against  attack,  the 
Russian  merchants  requisitioned  the  protection  of 
armed  men.  It  was  not,  however,  only  having  to 
keep  continually  on  the  alert  against  the  enemy  that 
made  the  journey  irksome,  it  was  the  nature  of  the 
river  itself  ;  at  a  certain  point,  where  thirteen  rapids 
made  navigation  impossible,  the  boats  had  to  be  taken 
out  of  the  water  and  dragged  along  the  banks,  or  even 
carried  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  men.  Besides  all 
this,  the  harassed  merchants  had  to  keep  an  eye  on 
their  human  merchandise — the  slaves — who  were 
chained  together  in  order  to  prevent  them  from 
escaping. 

Thus,  after  a  long,  dangerous  and  wearisome 
journey,  the  Russians  at  last  reached  the  open  waters 
of  the  Black  Sea — the  "  Russian  Sea,"  as  it  was  called 
by  the  Arabs. 

When  the  perils  of  the  journey  were  over  and  their 
destination  reached,  the  Russian  traders  proceeded  to 
settle  down  in  the  quarters  set  apart  for  them  outside 


PREHISTORIC   RUSSIA  5 

the  city  of  Byzantium,  for,  as  time  went  on,  the  Greeks 
began  to  fear  lest  their  barbarian  customers  should 
settle  down  and  form  a  permanent  colony  within 
their  city. 

The  few  descriptions  extant  regarding  the  life  and 
customs  of  the  early  Russians  vary  according  to  the 
period  in  which  their  Greek,  Arab  or  Jewish  con- 
temporaries came  into  touch  with  them.  Yet  all 
agree  in  their  reports  as  to  the  physical  characteristics 
of  this  race,  which  was  said  to  be  tall,  handsome,  fair- 
haired  and  rosy-cheeked.  Good-natured  and  humane 
in  ordinary  life,  these  Russians  were  reported  to  be 
fierce  and  cruel  in  warfare,  but  never  treacherous  ; 
warrior-like  and  brave,  with  great  powers  of  endurance, 
"  they  were,"  as  a  Greek  writer  said,  "  conquerable 
only  through  their  internal  dissensions."  The  same 
writer  speaks  of  the  proverbial  love  of  freedom  which 
was,  however,  a  frequent  cause  of  national  weakness. 
Evidently,  each  individual  had  an  innate  objection  to 
subordinate  his  personal  opinion  to  that  of  the  com- 
munity, and  this  led,  only  too  naturally,  to  quarrels, 
and  resulted  in  a  lack  of  solidarity  which  was  made 
good  use  of  by  the  enemy.  It  seems,  in  fact,  that 
the  Russian  tribes  never  united  unless  threatened  by 
a  common  foe.  It  was  also  said  of  them  that  in 
order  to  arrive  at  a  lasting  understanding,  "  fear  and 
presents  "  were  far  more  effective  than  treaties,  as  the 
Russians  seemed  to  dislike  tying  themselves  down 
by  agreements. 

The  love  of  freedom  showed  itself  also  in  their 
treatment  of  captives  of  war,  who  were  kept  as  slaves 
only  for  a  limited  term  of  years,  and  then  were  given 


6  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

the  option  either  of  returning  to  their  own  country  or 
of  settling  among  their  captors  as  free  men. 

The  Russians  were  also  renowned  for  their  hospitality 
to  strangers,  and  it  was  even  the  custom  for  the  host, 
on  the  departure  of  a  guest,  to  accompany  him  on 
the  journey  in  order  to  ensure  his  reaching  his  next 
destination  in  safety. 

The  Slavs  were  a  joyous,  good-natured,  warm- 
hearted, sociable  race — a  music  and  poetry-loving 
people.  There  was  nothing  gloomy  either  about  them 
or  their  religious  beliefs,  which  taught  them  to  worship 
one  great  God,  the  Creator  of  the  Universe.  They 
believed,  not  in  a  blind  fate,  but  in  a  destiny  ordained 
by  the  will  of  God,  and,  to  this  day,  the  word  for  the 
future  husband  or  wife  is  tc  the  destined  one/'  They 
believed  that  by  means  of  sacrifices  and  vows,  which 
they  were  most  punctilious  in  offering  and  fulfilling, 
the  great  God  could  be  prevailed  upon  to  grant  their 
requests.  This  chief  Deity  was  to  them  the  director 
of  all  natural  phenomena,  and  the  other  lesser  gods 
which  they  worshipped  were  considered  as  spirits 
emanating  from  him.  They  were,  so  to  speak,  parts 
of  him  and  not  his  rivals. 

Thus  the  Russians  worshipped  both  a  sun-god  and  a 
rain-god — the  creative  and  regenerating  powers.  To 
their  honour  and  glory  they  sang  songs  and  held  feasts, 
with  music  and  dancing.  In  December,  after  the 
shortest  day,  they  celebrated  the  re-birth  of  the  sun, 
and  in  spring  the  regeneration  of  life.  On  June  24, 
the  great  feast  of  Kupela  and  Marena,  the  genii  of 
fertility,  was  held.  On  that  June  night  they  believed 
that  the  secrets  of  nature  were  revealed  to  man  ;  it 


PREHISTORIC   RUSSIA  7 

was  then  that  he  could  understand  the  language  of 
animals,  that  the  fern  blossomed,  and  that  hidden 
treasures  became  visible.  In  that  warm  night,  so  full 
of  wonder,  big  fires  were  lit  ;  and  men  and  maidens, 
decorated  with  leaves  and  flowers,  danced  round  the 
flames,  jumping  through  them,  in  dedication  of  them- 
selves to  the  two  spirits  of  the  feast. 

Of  Perun,  the  chief  of  the  lesser  gods,  whose  special 
domain  was  thunder  and  lightning,  they  occasionally 
made  images  in  human  form  ;  representing  him  as  a 
man  holding  a  shield  and  having  an  eagle  with  out- 
stretched wings  perched  upon  his  head.  They  prayed 
to  him  in  the  forests  and  under  gigantic  oaks,  where 
nature  reigns  supreme,  and  where  the  trunks  of  the 
trees  form  the  pillars  of  temples  not  made  with  hands. 
They  worshipped  Volos,  the  god  of  cattle,  or  of  wealth, 
since  to  an  agricultural  people  cattle  meant  riches. 
They  also  believed  in  nymphs  and  water-sprites  who 
were  supposed  to  inhabit  springs,  wells  and  rivers, 
bogs,  and  hollow  trees.  In  fact,  they  personified  the 
phenomena  of  nature  and  peopled  forest  and  field 
with  mysterious  beings. 

The  Slavs  required  no  priest,  for  every  man  sacrificed 
his  own  gifts,  and  every  head  of  a  household  those  of 
his  family.  There  were,  however,  seers  among  them 
who  could  tell  the  future  and  interpret  oracles.  Every 
man  prayed  for  himself  :  the  merchant  before  starting 
on  his  journey  offered  up  milk,  bread,  and  other  food, 
and  with  many  genuflexions  asked  for  a  good  sale  for 
his  wares,  and  on  his  return  home  he  made  a  thank- 
offering  and  distributed  food  to  the  poor.  The  farmer 
prayed  for  his  harvest,  and,  lifting  up  a  bowl  of  golden 


8  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

grain,  would  say,  c<  Lord,  Thou  hast  given  us  food, 
give  it  to  us  in  abundance." 

There  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  their  belief  in  a  life 
after  death,  for  their  most  solemn  oath  was,  "  If  I  do 
not  keep  my  word,  may  I  be  a  slave  in  this  life  and  in 
the  next."     Life  after  death  was  merely  a  prolongation 
and  continuation  of  existence,  but  in  a  land  of  light, 
warmth,  beauty  and  good  cheer.       This  Paradise,  or 
<c  Rai,"  was  believed  to  be  a  beautiful  garden,  full  of 
trees,  verdure  and  flowers,  and  to  be  the  place  where 
the  migratory  birds  spent  the  winter.     It  was,  however, 
imperative   for  the  relatives  of  a  departed  warrior  to 
provide  his  soul  with  all   the  requisites  of  daily  life. 
Thus,  domestic  implements,  weapons,  musical  instru- 
ments, together  with  his  horse  and  dog,  had  either  to 
be  placed  in  the  grave  over  which  the  funeral  mound 
was  raised,  or  to  be  burned  with  the  corpse — whichever 
happened  to  be  the  custom  of  the  neighbourhood.     A 
wife,  too,  had  to  accompany  her  dead  lord,  and  the 
opportunity  to  do    so  was  given   to  that  one  of  the 
many  wives  who  professed  to  have  loved  him  the  best. 
When    the  funeral   mound   had    been   erected,  the 
family  and  friends  of  the  departed  would  sit  around 
it  and  feast  and  sing,  or  else  listen  to  songs    of   his 
prowess  ;   while  a  year  later  they  assembled  to  com- 
memorate his  death.     At  all  their  feasts  the  Russians 
sang  and  drank  deep  of  the  golden  mead,  but    they 
drank  also  on  other  occasions  ;  in  fact,  the  verdict  of 
the  famous  Arab  writer  was  that  "  the  Russian  rejoices 
in  drinking  and  cannot  do  without  it,"  and  that  "  many 
a  man  was  called  away  by  death  with  the  goblet  raised 
to  his  lips." 


PREHISTORIC   RUSSIA  9 

Under  normal  conditions,  the  growing  of  "  bread  " 
occupied  as  important  a  place  in  the  economic  life  of 
the  Russians  as  did  hunting.  It  was  said  at  one  time 
of  the  Slavs  that  they  did  not  like  the  pursuit  of  agri- 
culture, and  that  they  preferred  poverty  and  peace  to 
plenty  and  trouble.  That  must  have  been  in  a  period 
when  nomadic  tribes  from  the  East  were  raiding  their 
fertile  lands,  making  settled  life  insecure.  Two  hundred 
years  of  quiet  followed  on  that  period  of  stress  and 
danger,  and  during  this  time  the  Slavs  of  South-eastern 
Europe  had  become  agriculturists.  Then,  however, 
new  dangers  arose  from  the  warlike  Khazars,  a  Turkish 
people  inhabiting  the  land  east  of  the  Volga,  who  were 
ousted  in  the  course  of  centuries  by  the  fierce  Pet- 
chenegs,  while  these  again  were  replaced  by  the 
Polovtsi  or  Cumans.  It  was  due  to  this  state  of  in- 
security that  many  Russians  relapsed  into  a  semi- 
nomadic  condition  of  life,  while  others  deserted  the 
insecure  plains  and  went  further  west  to  the  forest 
zone,  where  they  were  less  exposed  to  raids. 

As  there  was  always  the  danger  of  attack  by  these 
wild  nomadic  tribes,  walled  forts  came  to  be  built,  into 
which  the  rural  population  could  flee  for  protection 
when  the  need  arose.  As  time  went  on  these  forts 
increased  in  number  and  size,  for  many  people  came 
to  settle  under  their  shadow,  and  thus  in  process  of 
time  cities  developed. 

Although  the  primary  object  of  these  forts  had  been 
strategical,  they  soon  also  acquired  commercial  import- 
ance ;  and  those  forts  around  which  the  greatest 
number  of  people  settled  gained  the  hegemony  over 
the  others,  and  thus  their  political  ascendency  increased. 


io  SOME  RUSSIAN   HEROES 

Many  tribes,  who  were  still  living  without  any  terri- 
torial or  civic  organization,  gradually  recognized  the 
supremacy  of  these  cities.  In  this  manner  important 
centres  developed,  such  as  Novgorod,  on  the  Volkhov, 
near  Lake  Ilmen  ;  Smolensk,  at  the  source  of  the 
Dnieper  ;  Pskov,  on  Lake  Peipus  ;  and  Kiev,  on  the 
Dnieper. 

Greek  writers  comment  on  the  fact  that  the  form  of 
government  among  the  Russians  was  not  at  all  mon- 
archical, but,  on  the  contrary,  very  democratic.  Yet  it 
was  associated  with  patriarchal  rule  ;  for,  in  point  of 
fact,  the  Elders — the  older  and  more  experienced  men 
— governed  the  cities,  while  the  whole  land  was  under 
the  rule  of  a  Council,  or  Vietcha,  to  which  each  town 
sent  its  representatives  ;  and  whatever  course  of  action 
the  leading  towns  decided  upon,  the  lesser  ones  had  to 
carry  out.  Thus  urban  republics  developed.  It  was 
in  times  of  danger  only  that  the  cities  required  the 
services  of  a  military  chief,  and  then  some  man,  re- 
nowned for  courage  and  bravery,  was  chosen  by  the 
Elders  to  protect  the  town  against  an  attack,  or  was 
bidden  to  lead  the  warriors  against  the  foe.  His  duty 
was  to  ward  off  aggressive  attacks  by  the  enemy,  and 
to  protect  the  trade  of  the  citizens,  and  for  this  purpose 
he  frequently  hired  mercenary  troops  of  Scandinavians. 
For  these  Norsemen,  in  the  same  way  as  they  had 
settled  on  the  shores  of  Britain  and  France,  had  also 
reached  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Finland.  They  had 
penetrated  through  the  River  Neva  into  Lake  Ladoga, 
and  from  there  they  had  gone  up  the  River  Volkhov 
into  Lake  Ilmen,  where  they  had  even  temporarily 
conquered  Novgorod,  the  chief  city  of  the  northern 


PREHISTORIC   RUSSIA  n 

Russians.  Other  "  Varangians,"  as  these  Vikings  were 
called,  took  service  under  Kiev,  and  accompanied  her 
trade  caravans  to  Byzantium. 

As  it  not  infrequently  happened  that  members  of 
the  same  family  were  chosen  to  be  military  chiefs, 
dynasties  of  "  Knyazi  "  or  princes  developed,  without, 
however,  enjoying  any  territorial  rights.  The  Knyazi 
who  lived  in  the  chief  towns  had  to  send  their  repre- 
sentatives to  lesser  forts,  and  thus  a  class  of  Governors 
was  evolved — the  Possadniki. 

The  whole  population  of  the  Russian  lands  was 
divided  into  tens,  hundreds,  and  thousands,  and  over 
each  unit  there  was  a  head  man,  the  "  thousandth 
man  "  often  acting  as  the  civic  assistant  of  the  military 
chief. 

It  was  the  possibility  of  securing  a  band  of  warriors 
ready  to  go  anywhere  in  the  hope  of  returning  laden 
with  booty,  which  enabled  the  military  chiefs  of  Kiev 
and  of  other  cities  to  undertake  expeditions  on  their 
own  account,  and  not  only  to  follow  the  dictates  of 
the  city  Elders.  Thus,  from  being  merely  protectors, 
the  princes  became  aggressors.  They  provided  the 
Norsemen,  who  formed  their  personal  following,  with 
weapons  and  clothing,  and  gave  them  the  opportunity 
of  enriching  themselves  at  the  expense  of  the  enemy. 
In  this  way,  accompanied  by  their  "  Drujina,"  or  band 
of  friends,  the  princes  made  raids  into  neighbouring 
countries,  and  even  into  distant  lands,  such  as  Greece 
and  the  southern  shores  of  the  Black  Sea,  and  as  far 
as  the  Caspian.  Having  conquered  new  lands,  they 
ruled  over  these  by  right  of  conquest  ;  and  thus, 
having  enriched  themselves  by  means  of  spoils  of  war, 


12  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

and  having  become  influential  owners  of  territory,  the 
elected  military  chiefs  gradually  became  independent 
and  hereditary  rulers. 

Although  Novgorod  was  a  great  town,  yet  the 
greatest  and  richest  among  the  cities  of  prehistoric 
Russia  was  Kiev.  Of  the  rise  of  this  far-famed  city 
nothing  is  known,  but  tradition  says  that  it  was  so 
named  after  a  chief  called  Kee  who  had  settled  on  the 
high  banks  of  the  river  Dnieper.  By  the  time  the  full 
light  of  history  falls  on  Russia,  Kiev  was  already  the 
acknowledged  political  centre  of  the  Russian  lands, 
although  paying  tribute  to  the  Khagan  of  the  Khazars, 
whose  capital  was  Itil,  on  the  Volga.  On  their  way  to 
Byzantium  the  traders  from  the  north  had  to  pass  by 
it,  and  the  route  from  the  Baltic  along  the  Dnieper 
down  to  the  Euxine  was  known  as  the  "  Greek  Way." 
From  the  eastern  side,  too,  a  road  led  up  to  Kiev. 
Persia,  and  even  India,  sent  of  their  treasures  to  this 
famous  city  from  which  a  road  went  to  the  west 
through  Galicia  to  the  markets  of  Italy  and  Germany. 

Within  its  walls  and  on  the  hills  lived  many  rich 
patrician  families  of  merchant-warriors.  Gardens  and 
orchards  surrounded  the  town,  into  which  the  people  of 
the  outlying  districts  brought  their  produce.  In  the 
farmyards,  fowls  and  pigeons,  geese  and  swans  provided 
food  for  the  rich,  while  the  forest-dwellers  gathered  the 
honey  out  of  the  hollow  trunks  of  trees.  The  honey 
thus  obtained  went  to  the  making  of  the  golden  mead 
for  the  feastings  of  the  great.  The  wax  was  sold  to 
the  traders,  and  also  the  valuable  furs  which  the 
huntsmen  brought  to  the  city — black  fox,  and  white 
squirrel,  sable  and  marten. 


PREHISTORIC   RUSSIA  13 

While  the  people  worked,  prince  and  bogatyr  made 
war,  hunted  the  boar  and  wild  horse,  or  rode  out  to 
the  chase,  falcon  on  wrist.  All,  however,  without  dis- 
tinction, whether  peasant,  hunter,  merchant  or  prince, 
loved  good  cheer,  dancing  and  music,  and  were  brave, 
generous  and  hospitable. 


SCYTHIAN    TAMING    HORSES. 
From  a  fourth-century  B.C.  vase. 


CHAPTER    II 


WARRIOR,    FROM   A  FRESCO,    KIEV. 


OLEG    THE    WISE 

RADITION  tells  that  to 
the  hardy  Norsemen  of 
Scandinavia  came  mes- 
sengers from  the  people 
of  Novgorod,  saying, 
"  Our  country  is  vast 
and  fertile,  but  there 
is  no  order  in  it ;  come, 
therefore,  and  rule  over 
us  !  "  and,  according 
to  the  chronicler, 
Varangians  did  not 
hesitate  to  accept  this  generous  invitation. 

Thus  it  happened  that  only  a  few  years  earlier  than 
the  Vikings,  Ingvar  and  Hubbar,  said  to  be  the  sons 
of  the  great  Scandinavian  hero,  Ragnar  Lodbrog,  were 
invading  England,  the  Viking  Rurik  and  his  brothers, 
Sineus  and  Truvor,  started  for  Russia.  They  left  the 
shores  of  Scandinavia  and,  sailing  across  the  Gulf  of 
Finland  and  up  the  Neva,  they  entered  the  great 
northern  lake  ;  and  where  the  river  Volkhov  flows 
into  its  crystal  waters,  Rurik  founded,  in  862,  a  town 
which  he  named  Ladoga.  To  his  brothers  he  gave 
Byelo-ozero  and  Isborsk,  but  as  they  died  without 

14 


OLEG  THE   WISE  15 

leaving  any  heirs,  all  the  lands  soon  came  again  under 
his  rule.  Later  on  he  left  Ladoga,  making  Novgorod 
his  capital  and  the  centre  of  his  dominions,  whence  his 
rule  extended  over  many  parts  of  Russia.  Novgorod 
was  surrounded  by  marshes  and  forests,  and  while  the 
people  living  within  the  city  were  traders,  those  living 
around  it  were  hunters,  who  brought  thither  costly  furs 
which  were  carried  south  by  the  "  Greek  Way "  to 
Byzantium,  or  down  the  Volga  to  Itil,  the  capital  of 
the  Khazars.  There  Arab  merchants  bought  them  to 
re-sell  to  the  rich  people  of  Baghdad,  while  in  return 
the  Russians  purchased  fine  oriental  blades  and  bright 
beads,  much  beloved  by  Russian  women. 

On  his  deathbed  Rurik  entrusted  his  principality 
and  his  infant  son  Igor  to  the  care  of  his  trusted  friend 
and  kinsman  Oleg,  as  true  and  bold  a  knight  as 
legendary  hero  ever  was.  Fierce  and  mighty,  brave 
and  adventurous,  Oleg  was  just  the  leader  whom  both 
Varangians  and  Russians  loved  to  behold  and  to  follow. 

Novgorod,  however,  under  the  grey  northern  skies, 
did  not  satisfy  Oleg,  whose  imagination  had  been  fired 
by  tales  of  the  beauty  of  Kiev  and  of  the  glory  of 
Byzantium.  Two  bold  Varangian  knights,  Askold  and 
Dir,  were  at  that  time  ruling  over  Kiev.  Long  ago 
they  had  left  Rurik  and  gone  further  south,  intending 
to  go  on  to  Byzantium  ;  but  on  their  way  thither  they 
had  taken  Kiev  and  had  made  it  their  stronghold. 

Kiev  stood  as  a  queen  among  the  Russian  cities. 
From  it  the  two  knights  made  many  expeditions  against 
Byzantium,  sometimes  by  way  of  attack  and  sometimes 
for  purposes  of  trade.  In  order  to  make  friends  with 
these  barbarians  from  the  north,  and  to  come  to  terms 


1 6  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

with  them,  the  Greek  Emperor  Basilius  gave  them 
costly  presents  of  gold  and  silver  and  silk  garments, 
and  in  the  hope  of  taming  these  "  unconquerable 
heathens  "  he  sent  a  Bishop  to  Kiev  to  preach  to  them 
the  doctrines  of  Christianity.  In  86 1,  two  hundred 
Russians  were  actually  baptised.  Among  these  was 
Askold  the  Viking,  who,  however,  was  less  powerful 
than  Dir,  or  "  Al  Din,"  described  by  the  Arab  historian 
as  the  chief  of  the  Slav  kings,  and  as  possessing  many 
populous  and  great  cities. 

Danger,  however,  was  threatening  Askold  and  Dir, 
for  Oleg  was  irresistibly  drawn  towards  the  south,  to 
sunnier  climes  ;  taking  the  boy  Igor  with  him,  and 
accompanied  by  his  faithful  band  of  followers,  the 
valorous  knight  started  out  for  Kiev.  They  experienced 
many  adventures  on  this  expedition,  till  at  last  they 
reached  that  fair  city  on  the  high  bank  of  the  river 
Dnieper.  On  the  other  side  stretched  the  endless 
steppes,  decked  in  the  full  beauty  of  bright  flowers, 
which  made  the  meadows  a  joy  to  the  eyes.  Odysseus- 
like,  Oleg  decided  to  take  possession  of  the  fair  city  by 
guile,  and  therefore  sent  a  message  to  her  rulers, 
saying  that  some  peaceful  merchants  from  Novgorod, 
on  their  way  to  Byzantium,  had  arrived  and  craved 
hospitality.  The  unsuspecting  chiefs  came  out  of  their 
walled  city  to  hold  speech  with  the  far-travelled 
merchants,  when  suddenly  they  were  surrounded  by 
warriors,  and  Oleg,  lifting  the  boy  Igor  on  his  shield, 
called  out  to  Askold  and  Dir  :  "This  is  your  liege 
lord,  Igor,  Rurik's  son  ;  ye  are  but  adventurers  !  " 
Before  they  could  even  think  of  defending  themselves 
they  were  treacherously  stabbed. 


OLEG  THE   WISE  17 

Thus  Kiev  fell  into  the  hands  of  Oleg,  who  now 
forsook  Novgorod  for  good,  making  Kiev  his  head- 
quarters, from  which  he  ruled  the  Russian  lands. 

Past  Kiev  flowed  the  mighty  river  Boristhenes  or 
Dnieper,  whose  tributaries  spread  themselves  like  a 
network  all  over  the  country.  Along  these  waterways 
travelled  the  boats  of  the  traders  bringing  their  wares 
to  the  fairs  held  in  the  city,  which  grew  steadily  in 
importance  and  power. 

Not  for  long,  however,  was  Oleg  satisfied  with 
having  taken  Kiev ;  his  desire  was  for  war  and 
conquest,  and  thus,  one  after  the  other,  tribes,  peoples, 
and  cities  were  conquered  by  him,  all  of  which  had  to 
pay  tribute,  some  in  pieces  of  gold,  others  in  furs. 
Many  chiefs  joined  him,  for  this  powerful  leader  of 
men  attracted  all  who  loved  boldness  and  valour, 
danger  and  adventure.  They  rode  with  him  to  the 
hunt,  and  followed  him  on  his  expeditions.  Clever 
and  cunning,  he  was  also  a  wise  ruler  :  he  built  walled 
forts  as  shelters  from  the  inroads  of  the  dangerous 
nomadic  tribes  who  roamed  over  the  steppes,  and 
entered  into  relations  with  other  tribes,  proving  himself 
in  every  way  a  noble  king.  So  wise  was  he,  so  far- 
seeing  and  shrewd,  that  the  people  called  him  Veshtchii 
-"  he  who  sees." 

Many  years  passed,  and  when  Igor,  Rurik's  son, 
was  grown  up  his  guardian  gave  him  a  beauteous 
maiden — Prekrasnaya — to  wife,  whom  Oleg  named 
Olga,  after  himself.  However,  even  after  Igor  had 
reached  manhood,  Oleg  still  ruled  in  his  stead — and 
Igor  was  content  that  he  should  do  so. 

Although  Oleg   ruled  in    Kiev  and  was  great   and 


1 8  SOME   RUSSIAN  HEROES 

mighty,  he  longed  to  see  Byzantium,  of  whose  beauty, 
riches  and  treasure  he  had  heard  so  much.  When, 
therefore,  the  Tsar  of  Bulgaria  sent  messengers  begging 
assistance  in  his  proposed  attack  on  Byzantium,  the 
valorous  knight  at  once  agreed  to  render  it. 

Thus  he  started  on  his  famous  expedition,  of  which 
in  after  years  the  bards  used  to  sing.  With  eighty 
thousand  men  in  two  thousand  boats,  and  accompanied 
by  a  great  number  of  horsemen,  Oleg,  clad  in  shimmer- 
ing armour,  followed  by  his  gallant  Drujina,  rode 
southward  to  victory.  Unheeded  was  the  tediousness 
of  the  river  route,  while  dangers  were  welcomed. 

As  he  one  day  approached  the  dark  forest  a  wizard 
came  out  to  meet  him,  and,  addressing  the  old  man, 
Oleg  spoke  thus  :  "  Tell  me,  O  Wizard,  thou  favourite 
of  Perun  !  what  will  befall  me  in  the  future  ?  Shall  I, 
ere  long,  lie  buried  beneath  the  cool  earth  to  the  joy  of 
my  enemies  ?  Be  not  afraid  to  open  up  before  me  the 
future.  As  a  reward  I  will  give  thee  the  choice  of  my 
horses."  .  .  .  But  the  wizard  declined  the  offer  ;  for, 
fearless,  true,  and  not  to  be  bought  was  the  seer,  and 
thus  he  spake  to  Oleg  :  "  Dark  loom  before  me  the 
coming  years,  but  bright  appears  thy  fate  in  my  vision. 
Yet,  take  this  my  warning  to  heart.  Victory,  gain,  and 
renown  will  be  thine,  and  thou  shalt  hang  thy  shield  on 
the  gates  of  Byzantium.  Water  and  land  will  favour 
thee,  safe  shalt  thou  be  both  from  dagger  and  arrow, 
and  no  wound  shalt  thou  receive  in  battle.  Thy  horse, 
too,  will  be  fearless  and  brave,  and  will  carry  thee  safe 
over  the  .field  of  battle  ;  and  yet  death  will  overtake 
thee  through  this  thy  steed." 

At  these  words  Oleg  smiled,  then,  growing  pensive, 


OLEG  THE   WISE  19 

he  jumped  from  his  horse  and,  gently  stroking  the 
charger's  beautiful  neck,  he  bid  his  faithful  friend  a 
loving  farewell.  He  entrusted  the  steed  to  the  care 
of  some  servants,  and  bade  them  look  well  to  its 
comfort.  Then,  mounting  another  horse,  he  proceeded 
on  his  way. 

At  last  the  Russian  boats  reached  the  waters  of  the 
Black  Sea,  having  overcome  all  the  difficulties  of  the 
Dnieper,  and  as  they  sailed  towards  the  Bosphorus, 
news  of  the  barbarians'  approach  reached  the  citizens  of 
Byzantium  ;  fear  seized  the  population,  for  the  tales  of 
former  raids  had  taught  the  people  to  dread  the  Russians, 
and,  true  to  their  reputation,  Oleg  and  his  followers 
spread  ruin  wherever  they  went. 

Nor  did  the  manner  of  Oleg's  immediate  approach 
to  the  capital  tend  in  any  way  to  reassure  the  Greeks  ; 
for  gigantic  kites  in  the  shape  of  horses  and  snakes  and 
men  were  sent  up  from  the  boats  of  the  Russians,  and, 
terror-stricken,  the  citizens  beheld  these  monsters  in 
the  air. 

Instead  of  meeting  the  enemy  in  fair  fight,  the 
Emperor  trusted  the  safety  of  his  city  to  a  strange 
device  :  he  caused  a  heavy  chain  to  be  stretched  across 
the  Bosphorus,  in  the  hope  of  thereby  keeping  off  the 
Russian  ships.  At  this  precaution  Oleg  the  Wise  only 
laughed  !  Chains  could  not  restrain  him,  and  soon  his 
cunning  mind  found  a  new  way  to  victory  ;  he  merely 
ordered  his  men  to  drag  their  boats  on  to  the  shore, 
there  to  put  them  on  wheels,  and  then,  with  sails 
unfurled,  they  sailed  over  the  dry  land  to  the  gates  of 
the  great  metropolis. 

In  abject  fear  the  Emperor  now  sent  an  embassy  to 


20  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

Olcg,  with  offers  of  food  and  wine  ;  but  Oleg,  fearing 
lest  the  gifts  might  be  poisoned,  refused  to  accept  them. 
This  foresight  as  to  their    intentions  appeared  super- 
human to  the  Greeks,  who    now  believed  him  to  be 
Saint    Demetrius    in    person  ;    and    convinced    of   the 
futility  of  righting  against  a  leader  who  sailed  over  dry 
land,  they  asked  for  mercy  and  sued  for  peace,  offering 
to   pay   him   tribute.     To    this   proposal   the    mighty 
prince  readily  agreed.     The  Emperor  demanded,  how- 
ever, that  Oleg's  warriors    should  be  kept  at   a   safe 
distance  from  the  city,  and  that  envoys  should  be  sent 
to  arrange  the  matter.     By   these  an    agreement  was 
drawn  up,  and  arrangements  were  made  as  to  the  pay- 
ment   of    the    tribute.     But    heavy    was    the    tribute 
demanded  by  Oleg,  for  not  only  for  himself  and  all  his 
men  did  he  ask  much  gold,  but  also  gifts  for  all  those 
princes  who  had    accompanied  him  on  his    campaign. 
He  further  secured  great  privileges   for  the    Russian 
merchants,  to  whom  were  granted   the  right   of   free 
trade  during  their  stay  in  Byzantium  ;  they  were  to  be 
treated  as  guests  of  the  city,  which  was  to  provide  them 
with  meats,  fruit  and  wine.     The  merchants  were  also 
to  have  the  right  of  visiting  the  public  baths  as  often  as 
they  liked,  and  for  the  homeward  journey  they  were  to 
be  provided  with  new  ropes  and  anchors — in  fact,  with 
all  that  the  merchants  and  sailors  might  require. 

The  Greeks,  on  the  other  hand,  safeguarded  them- 
selves against  the  barbarous  Russians  by  limiting  the 
length  of  their  stay  in  Byzantium  to  six  months, 
during  which  they  were  given  special  quarters  in  a 
suburb  on  the  island  of  St.  Mamai.  Welcome  to  arrive 
in  spring,  they  were  expected  to  leave  these  quarters  in 


OLEG   THE  WISE  21 

autumn  and  to  return  to  Russia.  The  merchants  were 
forbidden  to  enter  the  capital  singly,  and  were  to  do  so 
only  in  parties  of  fifty,  and  then  under  the  guidance  of 
a  Greek.  In  order  to  prevent  any  abuse,  all  merchants 
had  to  produce  on  arrival  a  letter  from  their  Prince  in 
proof  of  their  being  genuine  traders,  and  also  a  silver 
seal,  while  political  envoys  had  to  bring  one  of  gold. 
This  agreement  was  sworn  to  on  the  part  of  Oleg  by 
his  weapons  and  by  Perun  and  Voloss,  his  gods,  while 
the  Greek  Emperor  swore  on  the  Gospel. 

Before  Oleg  left  for  home  he  hung  his  shield  upon 
the  gates  of  Byzantium  as  a  sign  that  he  had  exacted 
tribute  from  the  proud  city. 

For  the  return  journey  the  Russians  made  them- 
selves sails  of  gorgeous  silks,  but  the  winds  at  once 
tore  them  to  ribbons,  and  good  strong  Russian  linen 
had  once  more  to  do  service  and  carry  the  men  back 
to  their  homes. 

The  chronicler  reports  that  Oleg  the  Wise  took 
away  with  him  from  Byzantium  great  riches,  costly 
weapons  and  jewels,  treasures  and  wines.  He  also 
states  "that  Oleg  and  his  hosts  waged  warfare  as  other 
warriors  did  in  those  days,  for  the  times  were  cruel  and 
barbaric. 

The  verbal  agreement  with  the  Greek  Emperor  was 
later  ratified  in  writing  on  behalf  of  "Oleg,  the 
Great  Russian  Prince,  and  all  the  Princes  and  great 
Boyars  who  were  subject  to  him."  This  treaty, 
whether  spurious  or  genuine,  supposed  to  be  the  first 
written  agreement  ever  drawn  up  by  Russia,  and 
intended  to  regulate  the  political  and  commercial 
relations  of  the  two  nations,  was  written  in  Greek  and 


22  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

Slavonic.  One  copy  of  the  document  was  brought  to 
Kiev,  the  other  was  kept  in  Byzantium,  where  the 
Emperor,  greatly  honouring  Oleg's  envoys,  presented 
them  with  costly  presents.  In  order  to  impress  the 
barbarians  with  the  greatness  of  the  Christian  Faith, 
they  were  shown  the  beauty  and  glory  of  the  churches. 
For  thirty-three  years  Oleg  reigned  over  Russia. 
He  ruled  men  and  conquered  many  peoples,  and  yet 
after  all  the  wizard's  prophecy  with  regard  to  the 
mode  of  his  death  was  fulfilled.  One  day  as  he  was 
feasting  with  his  friends,  and  as  they  were  talking 
of  that  famous  expedition  of  five  years  earlier,  he 
suddenly  remembered  the  seer's  words.  When  told, 
in  answer  to  his  question,  that  the  horse  had  been  dead 
for  some  years,  he  rode  out  to  the  place  where  its 
bones  were  said  to  lie.  Tenderly  the  hero  looked 
upon  the  bleached  bones  of  his  faithful  steed,  and 
gently  putting  his  foot  on  the  skull,  he  murmured, 
"  Behold  how  false  the  prophecy  !  Here  am  I  still 
alive,  whilst  thou  art  dead  !  "  But  even  as  he  spoke  a 
black  snake  secretly  wriggled  out  of  the  skull,  and 
with  its  poisonous  bite  fatally  wounded  the  Prince. 
Thus  in  the  year  912  Oleg  the  Wise  died,  as  the  seer 
had  foretold.  His  friends  buried  him  with  honour,  in 
great  sorrow  and  grief.  They  raised  over  him  a 
funeral  mound,  and,  sitting  around  it,  they  solemnly 
bemoaned  their  loss.  They  lamented  the  death  of 
so  great  a  hero,  and  so  beloved  a  man  ;  they  sang 
of  his  prowess  and  of  his  glorious  reign  ;  for  was  it 
not  he  who  had  made  Russia  great — he,  whose  rule 
extended  from  the  rocky  shores  of  the  great  lake 
Ladoga  in  the  north  to  the  sunny  straits  of  the 


OLEG  THE  WISE 


23 


Bosphorus  ?  They  talked  of  his  courage  and  valour  ; 
for  had  he  not  been  truly  great,  wise  and  strong,  every 
inch  a  king,  and  one  who  knew  how  to  win  the 
affections  of  his  people  ?  Therefore  it  is  not  strange 
to  read  in  the  Chronicles  which  tell  of  Oleg  the  Wise 
that  "the  people  wept  for  him  with  great  weeping," 
and  most  bitterly  was  his  loss  bemoaned  by  Prince 
Igor  and  his  wife,  Olga  the  Beautiful. 


VIKING  SHIP. 


CHAPTER  III 


HOW  OLGA,  PRINCE  IGOR's  WIDOW,  AVENGED   HIS   DEATH, 
AND    HOW    SHE    VISITED    THE    GREEK    EMPEROR    AT 
CONSTANTINOPLE 


D 


URING  the  lifetime  of 
Oleg  the  Wise,  Igor, 
Rurik's  son,  had  not 
troubled  at  all  about 
his  lands,  for  were 
they  not  well  cared 
for  by  his  guardian  ? 
But  now  that  his  guar- 
dian was  dead,  Igor 
took  up  the  rulership. 
The  country,  however, 
soon  missed  the  strong 
hand  of  Oleg,  and 

many  of  the  tribes  which  he  had  conquered  began  to 
reassert  their  independence. 

Desirous  of  following  in  Oleg's  footsteps,  Igor  in 
his  turn  undertook  an  expedition  against  Byzantium, 
and  crossing  Bulgaria  on  his  way  thither,  he  and  his 
warriors  caused  widespread  terror  by  burning  cities, 
monasteries  and  churches,  and  killing  numbers  of 

people.     The  Emperor  was  away  in  Asia  Minor  when 

24 


GREEK  GRIVNA,    OR   IKON. 
Tenth  century. 


HOW   OLGA  AVENGED    IGOR'S   DEATH  25 

the  Russian  barbarians  were  threatening  his  capital, 
but  Byzantium  was  saved  by  a  miracle,  for  the  faithful 
people  brought  the  image  of  the  Virgin  to  the  sea,  and 
as  her  robes  touched  the  waters  a  storm  arose  which 
helped  to  destroy  the  enemy's  ships,  many  of  which 
had  been  burned  by  the  Greek  "  fire  "  which  was  flung 
upon  them  from  the  shore. 

In  order  to  avenge  this  defeat  Igor  soon  started  on 
a  second  expedition,  but  before  he  had  proceeded  very 
far  he  was  met  by  envoys  of  the  Emperor.  The 
effeminate  Byzantine,  fearing  another  invasion,  and 
unwilling  to  resist  it  by  force  of  arms,  sent  his  emis- 
saries to  the  barbarian  prince  with  the  offer  of  an 
increased  tribute  greatly  in  advance  of  that  which  Oleg 
had  levied.  The  condition,  however,  was  an  imme- 
diate cessation  from  further  invasion.  Following  the 
advice  of  his  Drujina,  Igor  accepted  the  gold  and 
silver  thus  lavishly  offered  to  him,  and  a  new  treaty 
was  drawn  up  between  the  Russian  Prince  and  the 
Emperor  in  944.  On  this  occasion  presents  were 
exchanged,  the  Greeks  giving  gold  and  silver,  and  the 
Russians  furs,  wax  and  slaves. 

Amongst  the  tribes  which  had  reasserted  themselves 
against  the  rule  of  the  Prince  of  Kiev  were  the  Drev- 
lyans,  and  against  them  Igor  now  made  a  successful 
punitive  expedition.  Not  satisfied,  however,  with  the 
tribute  received,  he  decided  to  demand  more.  Sending 
the  majority  of  his  followers  home,  and  accompanied 
by  only  a  few  of  his  Drujina,  he  returned  towards 
Koresten,  the  capital  of  the  Drevlyans.  His  greed 
was  to  cost  him  his  life,  for  when  the  Drevlyans 
realized  what  his  intentions  were  they  resolved  that 


26  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

it  was  imperative  to  "  kill  the  wolf,  lest  the  whole  flock 
be  devoured."  Led  by  Malu,  their  Prince,  they 
attacked  Igor,  and,  having  taken  him  captive,  tied  the 
hapless  Prince  to  two  trees,  and  he  thus  died  by  being 
torn  asunder.  His  head  was  cut  off,  and  the  chief  had 
the  skull  made  into  a  drinking-cup,  on  which  was 
engraved  these  words  :  "  Thou  earnest  to  take  what  was 
another's,  and,  coming,  didst  lose  what  was  thine  own." 

Svyatoslav  was  but  a  youth  when  his  father  lost  his 
life  and,  because  times  were  dangerous  and  evil,  his 
mother, Olga,  reigned  in  her  son's  stead  from  945  to  955 ; 
at  this  time  in  England,  Dunstan,  afterwards  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury,  was  rising  into  prominence,  and  the 
Queen-mother  was  reigning  for  her  delicate  son  Edwy. 

Although  advanced  in  age,  Olga  was  still  fair  in 
person,  clever  and  crafty,  and  proved  herself  a  success- 
ful ruler.  Yet  no  easy  task  was  hers,  for  Igor's  feeble 
character  and  unsuccessful  campaigns  had  weakened  the 
dominion  built  up  by  his  capable  and  enterprising  pre- 
decessor. Olga  had,  however,  the  help  of  two  Varangian 
heroes — Svenheld  who  led  her  warriors,  and  Asmund 
who  acted  as  tutor  to  her  boy  Svyatoslav. 

The  Drevlyans  who  had  killed  Igor  naturally  feared 
lest  his  widow  should  seek  revenge,  and  the  Chronicles 
report  that  in  order  to  prevent  her  from  attacking  their 
city  they  sent  an  embassy  to  Kiev  inviting  Olga  to 
become  the  wife  of  Malu,  their  chief.  It  was  not 
likely  that  the  wily  and  elderly  princess  would  be 
taken  in  by  such  a  proposal,  but  she  made  good  use  of 
the  opportunity  thus  offered  for  revenge.  Graciously 
she  thanked  the  envoys  for  the  offer,  saying  that  as  she 
could  not  bring  her  husband  back  to  life  she  might 


HOW    OLGA  AVENGED-  IGOR'S    DEATH  27 

as  well  marry  Malu,  but  promised  to  give  a  definite 
answer  on  the  morrow,  when  she  would  show  them 
great  honour.  She  stipulated  that,  when  sent  for  the 
next  day,  they  were  to  come  to  her  "  neither  on  foot 
nor  on  horseback,  nor  yet  driving  ;  but  they  were  to 
let  themselves  be  carried  in  their  boats."  And  this 
they  did.  Proudly  and  boastfully  they  refused  to 
walk,  demanding  to  be  carried  by  the  messengers 
whom  Olga  had  sent  to  fetch  them. 

Meanwhile  their  hostess,  intent  on  her  revenge,  had 
given  orders  for  a  large  ditch  to  be  dug  within  the 
courtyard  of  the  palace  ;  and  when  the  ambassadors 
had  been  carried  into  the  castle  square,  instead  of  being 
put  down  gently  on  the  ground,  they  were  flung 
violently  into  the  ditch.  Looking  down  from  her 
window,  Olga  called  out  to  them,  "How  do  you 
enjoy  being  honoured  by  me  ? "  Too  late  did  the 
envoys  realize  that  they  had  been  duped,  that  they 
had  fallen  a  prey  to  Olga's  revenge,  and  pitifully  they 
begged  for  pardon  ;  but  the  vindictive  princess  took 
no  heed  of  their  piteous  cries,  and  merely  ordered 
her  men  to  cover  up  the  Drevlyans  with  earth,  thus 
burying  them  alive. 

Not  yet  satisfied  with  this  savage  deed,  Olga  sent 
word  to  Koresten — "  Send  more  envoys,  for  the  people 
of  Kiev  will  not  let  me  depart !  "  This  the  Drevlyans 
immediately  did,  choosing  their  best  men,  who,  on 
arriving  in  Kiev,  were  graciously  received  by  the  prin- 
cess. Suspecting  no  treachery,  the  guests  followed 
their  host  to  the  bath-house,  where  they  were  all 
burned  to  death.  Olga's  revenge  demanded  even 
more  victims,  and  therefore  she  sent  another  message 


28  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

to  the  murderers  of  her  husband,  telling  them  that 
she  was  already  on  her  way  to  marry  their  king. 
Before,  however,  she  could  enter  their  town  she  wished 
to  celebrate  a  memorial  feast  at  her  husband's  grave, 
and  there  the  new  envoys  of  the  Drevlyans  were  to 
meet  her.  This  summons  was  obeyed,  and  great  prepara- 
tions were  made,  and  golden  mead  was  brewed,  which 
they  brought  to  Olga,  who  was  awaiting  them  at  the 
scene  of  Igor's  murder.  Surprised  at  not  seeing  any 
of  their  own  people  in  Olga's  entourage,  the  Drevlyans 
asked  where  their  envoys  were,  and  were  told  that  they 
were  coming  later.  As  Olga's  retinue  consisted  of 
only  200  Boyars,  the  Drevlyans  proceeded  without 
suspicion  or  fear  to  accept  her  lavish  hospitality.  Her 
young  men,  while  themselves  abstaining  from  drink, 
plied  their  guests  assiduously  with  mead,  and  when 
the  Drevlyans  were  all  heavily  intoxicated  it  was  an 
easy  task  for  the  Russians  to  kill  every  man.  When 
these  last  victims  did  not  return  to  the  city,  then,  and 
only  then,  did  the  Drevlyans  realize  that  all  their 
efforts  to  appease  Igor's  widow  had  been  in  vain. 

Olga  now  besieged  their  city  of  Koresten,  but  fear 
of  falling  into  her  ruthless  hands  enabled  them  to 
endure  a  prolonged  siege.  After  a  year  had  passed 
she  sent  a  message  that,  having  now  fully  avenged 
her  husband's  death,  she  was  willing  to  conclude  peace 
and  raise  the  siege.  She  would  not  even  ask  much 
tribute  of  them — merely  three  sparrows  and  three 
pigeons  from  each  homestead.  Overjoyed  at  such 
easy  terms,  every  householder  sent  the  required  birds. 
These  Olga  handed  to  her  men,  who,  by  her  orders, 
tied  to  the  tail  of  each  bird  some  sulphur  and  string  ; 


HOW   OLGA   AVENGED    IGOR'S   DEATH  29 

and  at  night,  having  been  set  fire  to,  the  birds  were 
let  go,  and,  flying  back  to  their  homes,  carried  destruc- 
tion to  their  owners'  property.  A  general  conflagration 
broke  out,  and  as  each  family  was  occupied  in  trying 
to  quench  the  flames  of  its  own  homestead,  it  was 
impossible  to  give  help  to  neighbours.  At  last,  panic- 
stricken  and  in  despair,  the  Drevlyans  forsook  the 
burning  city,  fleeing  madly  into  the  open,  when  Olga's 
warriors  fell  upon  them,  killing  many  and  taking 
others  captive.  From  the  rest  she  levied  a  heavy 
tribute.  Then  she  returned  to  Kiev,  and  the  fire  of 
her  vengeance  seemed  at  last  to  have  burned  itself  out 
with  the  destruction  of  the  city  of  her  enemies. 

During  the  minority  of  her  son,  the  Russians  were 
ruled  wisely  and  well  by  Olga,  who  proved  herself 
possessed  of  great  gifts  of  statesmanhip.  She  travelled 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  realm,  estab- 
lishing law  and  order.  She  founded  cities,  regulated 
commerce,  started  fisheries,  and  introduced  ferries 
across  the  rivers.  Thus  she  reigned  as  a  sovereign 
over  the  Russian  lands,  and  when  at  last  Svyatoslav 
was  able  to  .take  the  reins  of  government  into  his 
hands,  her  fame  had  spread  far  and  wide. 

Freed  from  the  cares  and  responsibilities  of  sove- 
reignty, Olga  now  turned  her  attention  to  religion. 
Evidently  she  had  become  interested  in  the  Christian 
faith,  which  some  Varangians  and  also  some  Russians 
at  her  court  professed.  She  therefore  decided  to  visit 
Byzantium  in  order  to  be  taught  Christianity,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  to  enter  personally  into  diplomatic  com- 
munications with  the  Emperor,  as  well  as  to  develop 
commercial  relations  between  the  two  countries. 


30  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

In  the  year  955  the  Princess  Olga  set  out  on  her 
long  and  perilous  journey,  accompanied  by  her  cousin, 
sixteen  ladies,  eight  trusted  men,  twenty  ambassadors, 
eighteen  waiting-maids,  one  priest,  two  interpreters, 
forty-six  merchants,  and  a  large  company  of  warriors 
whom  Svyatoslav  had  given  her  as  escort.  Informed 
of  the  proposed  visit  of  the  Russian  princess,  the 
Emperor  Leo,  the  Philosopher,  had  great  preparations 
made  in  order  to  receive  her  in  a  manner  worthy 
of  Byzantine  traditions,  for  it  was  the  pride  and 
glory  of  the  Greek  emperors  to  dazzle  their  visitors 
with  a  display  of  pomp  and  show.  This  visit,  how- 
ever, was  different  from  any  other,  and  no  precedent 
existed  for  the  ceremonial  of  the  reception.  It  was 
the  first  time  that  a  princess  was  to  visit  Byzantium, 
for  although  Olga  had  handed  over  the  actual  rule 
to  her  son,  the  fact  of  having  been  regent  gave  her 
the  status  of  a  sovereign  in  her  own  right.  It  was 
also  the  first  time  that  a  Russian  potentate  was  coming 
on  a  peaceful  mission,  and  not,  as  formerly  Askold, 
Oleg  and  Igor,  to  attack  or  to  levy  tribute. 

In  September  Olga  arrived  in  the  Greek  capital, 
where  rooms  had  been  prepared  for  her  and  her  suite 
in  a  palace.  It  seems  that  she  had  to  wait  some  time 
before  the  first  interview  took  place,  but  at  last  she 
was  accorded  the  privilege  of  coming  into  the  august 
presence  of  the  Emperor.  Pomp,  show  and  luxury 
reigned  in  the  palace,  and  on  this  occasion  these  were 
increased  by  a  profusion  of  costly  ornaments,  vases, 
lamps,  candelabra,  jewelled  bric-a-brac,  carpets  and 
hangings  which  had  been  brought  to  the  palace  from 
different  churches,  or  had  even  been  borrowed  from 


r^\/A/^^J^<'li\f^k'>.<foiifre  ^kg^.^A- '  ''jJ.y»J5s*;  •  :C* 


iilM 


PROCESSIONAL    IMAGE    OF   THE   VIRGIN    OF   SMOLENSK. 
In  the  Archangel  Cathedral  of  Moscow. 


HOW   OLGA  AVENGED   IGOR'S   DEATH  31 

private  houses.  All  along  the  passages  and  in  the 
rooms  through  which  the  visitors  had  to  pass  to  reach 
the  great  reception  hall,  warriors  of  every  people  and 
tribe  were  standing  on  guard,  each  in  different  array  : 
some  in  shining  armour,  with  shields  and  swords, 
others  in  flowing  mantles  on  which  lions,  griffins, 
stags,  eagles  and  peacocks  were  embroidered.  The 
dazzled  Russian  barbarians  walked  on  floors  paved 
with  mosaic  strewn  with  roses,  and  from  behind  the 
costly  hangings  came  sweet  music  to  enchant  the  ear. 

Dressed  in  gorgeous  robes  sent  her  by  the  Emperor, 
Olga,  preceded  by  eunuchs  who  were  clad  in  costly 
laces  and  wore  chains  of  pearls,  appeared  before  his 
august  presence.  Her  suite  followed  in  order  of  rank, 
the  merchants,  who  had  to  remain  at  the  entrance  of 
the  throne-room,  coming  last  of  all. 

Everything  was  calculated  to  impress  the  barbaric 
visitors.  On  a  golden  throne  sat  the  Emperor,  im- 
movable, passive,  silent.  Each  step  leading  up  to  the 
throne,  which  was  standing  in  a  bower  of  golden 
foliage,  was  flanked  on  either  side  by  golden  lions. 
All,  with  the  exception  of  the  Russian  princess,  pros- 
trated themselves  before  the  Emperor,  touching  the 
ground  with  their  foreheads  ;  but  when  they  rose 
up,  behold  !  the  Emperor  and  his  throne  had  been 
miraculously  raised  to  the  ceiling,  and  even  while 
their  awe-struck  gaze  was  fixed  upon  it,  the  throne 
slowly  descended  as  if  by  magic. 

Then  the  Russian  ambassadors  addressed  the  Em- 
peror in  the  form  prescribed  by  etiquette  :  "  Peace, 
grace,  joy,  and  fame  may  God  grant  to  the  Great 
Emperor  !  Health  and  long  life  may  the  Lord  grant 


32  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

to  the  peaceable  and  gracious  Emperor !  As  long  as 
thou  livest  may  righteousness  and  peace  reign  in 
abundance,  O  peace-loving  and  noble  Emperor!  "  To 
these  words  the  Emperor  listened  with  impassive  mien. 
As  it  was  contrary  to  etiquette  for  him  personally  to 
address  any  visitors,  however  exalted,  the  Logothetis, 
or  Speaker,  on  his  behalf  put  the  following  questions 
to  the  Russian  princess  :  <c  How  is  thy  son,  the  noble 
Grand  Duke  ?  How  is  the  Council  ?  How  are  the 
people,  and  how  art  thou  thyself  ?  How  was  the 
journey,  and  did  anything  unpleasant  happen  ?  Wel- 
come !  and  dine  to-day  with  His  Majesty." 

During  this  exchange  of  courtesies,  machinery  was 
set  in  motion  :  the  lions  suddenly  began  to  beat  the 
floor  with  their  tails,  and,  opening  their  mouths  wide, 
with  tongues  hanging  out,  they  roared  loudly,  and  at 
the  same  time  a  multitude  of  birds  on  the  gilded  trees 
began  to  sing  the  sweetest  melodies.  Astonishment 
and  delight  took  hold  of  the  simple  Russian  visitors, 
to  whom  such  wonders  were  a  revelation. 

For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  Byzantium,  the 
Empress  also  had  to  grant  an  official  audience,  and 
from  the  throne-room  of  the  Emperor  the  visitors 
were  led  to  her  state-room,  where  the  same  cere- 
monial was  gone  through.  The  Empress,  sitting  on 
her  throne,  impassive  and  silent  like  her  lord,  received 
the  Russian  ladies.  An  informal  reception,  however, 
followed  later  in  the  private  rooms  of  the  Empress, 
where  they  met  no  longer  as  sovereigns  but  as  women. 

On  the  same  evening  a  feast  was  given  in  honour  of 
the  guests,  the  dinner  being  set  out  upon  golden  tables. 
While  Olga's  suite,  on  entering  the  banqueting  hall, 


HOW  OLGA  AVENGED   IGOR'S  DEATH     33 

bowed  themselves  to  the  ground  in  greeting,  Olga,  in 
virtue  of  her  rank,  merely  bowed  her  head  slightly, 
and  was  then  placed  at  a  small  table  not  far  from  the 
Empress  and  her  beautiful  daughter-in-law,  Theofani, 
who  sat  by  themselves  at  a  separate  table. 

While  hosts  and  guests  were  feasting  surrounded 
with  luxury,  the  air  fragrant  with  the  perfume  of 
flowers,  lovely  harmonies  proceeded  from  a  golden 
organ  and  exquisite  singing  filled  the  room.  Thus  all 
the  senses  were  gratified.  Olga  and  her  barbarians 
partook  of  the  feast,  at  which  only  women  were 
present,  for  all  male  members  of  the  Russian  Embassy 
were  dining  with  the  Emperor  and  his  children  in 
another  hall.  At  dessert,  however,  all  met  in  friendly 
intercourse,  and,  according  to  custom,  presents — trea- 
sures of  art,  and  even  money — were  presented  to  the 
foreign  guests.  To  Olga  was  handed  a  golden  bowl, 
studded  with  jewels  and  filled  with  coins,  and  this 
present  greatly  pleased  her.  Just  before  leaving,  basins 
filled  with  scented  water  were  brought  for  washing  the 
hands,  which  were  dried  with  the  finest  towels.  Gifts 
of  precious  ointment,  of  attar  of  roses,  and  other  rare 
perfumes  were  also  presented  to  the  Russian  ladies.  A 
few  weeks  later,  on  the  eve  of  her  departure,  a  farewell 
reception  was  held  in  honour  of  the  barbarian  princess 
by  his  great  Majesty  the  Emperor. 

During  her  stay  in  Byzantium,  Olga  had  been  dili- 
gently instructed  by  the  Patriarch  in  the  Christian 
faith.  The  chronicler  reports  that  she  "  absorbed  his 
teaching  like  a  sponge."  The  Patriarch  blessed  her 
with  these  words  :  "  Blessed  art  thou  amongst  Russian 
women  because  thou  hast  come  to  love  the  Light  and 


34  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

hast  forsaken  darkness.  Thy  descendants  will  bless 
thee  to  the  end  of  their  days."  Whether  Olga  was 
baptised  in  Constantinople,  or  on  her  return  to  Kiev, 
history  does  not  relate  ;  for,  although  minute  de- 
scriptions of  the  visit  and  of  the  ceremonial  of  her 
reception  are  recorded  in  the  Greek  documents,  no 
mention  is  made  of  her  baptism.  On  becoming  a 
Christian,  Olga  took  the  name  Helena,  and  from  that 
time  forward  she  used  all  her  influence  to  further  the 
spread  of  Christianity  in  Russia.  In  her  desire  to 
obtain  teachers  for  her  people,  she  sent  envoys  to  the 
Court  of  the  German  Emperor,  Otto  II.  The  bishop 
who  came  in  response  to  this  appeal  found,  however, 
no  welcome  awaiting  him  from  the  people  whom  he 
wished  to  enlighten,  and  he  was  therefore  soon  obliged 
to  return  home. 

At  this  period  there  was  much  intercourse  with 
Tsargrad,  as  the  Russians  called  Byzantium.  As  many 
Varangians  in  Russian  service  were  Christians,  and 
also  many  Russians  who  took  service  under  the  Greek 
Emperor  became  Christians,  Christians  were  not  now 
persecuted  in  Russia,  but  tolerated  ;  they  had,  however, 
to  endure  much  ridicule. 

Olga  pleaded  with  her  son  Svyatoslav  to  be  baptised, 
but  he  refused,  "for,"  said  he,  "my  people  would 
laugh  at  me."  His  mother,  however,  told  him  that  he 
was  mistaken,  and  that,  on  the  contrary,  all  would 
follow  his  example.  His  refusal  was  a  great  grief  to 
her,  and  "  night  and  day  she  prayed  for  her  son." 
Although  unwilling  to  become  a  Christian  himself, 
the  Prince  in  no  way  hindered  the  efforts  of  his 
mother,  who  built  several  churches,  chief  among 


HOW  OLGA  AVENGED   IGOR'S  DEATH     35 

them    the  church  of   St.  Nicholas,  over  the  grave  of 
Askold. 

The  Russian  Church  canonized  Olga  as  the  first  to 
prepare  the  way  for  the  triumph  of  Christianity,  while 
historians  praise  her  because  of  her  great  gifts  of  states- 
manship. She  died  in  955  at  the  age  of  seventy.  A 
clever,  wise,  and  far-seeing  ruler,  she  consolidated 
the  state,  and  although  she  left  no  written  code,  she 
brought  uniformity  into  the  administration  of  the  law. 
The  writer  of  the  oldest  Chronicles  of  Russia,  Nestor, 
compares  her  to  "  the  morning  star  before  sunrise," 
and  to  "  the  dawn  before  the  daylight." 


ILLUMINATED   CROSS. 
From  a  tenth  century  Byzantine  Gospel. 


CHAPTER   IV 

HOW    VLADIMIR,    "FAIR     SUN,"    BECAME    ST.    VLADIMIR 


A 


GROUP   OF    WARRIORS. 
From  an  eleventh  century  fresco. 


MONG  the  many  wives 
whom  Svyatoslav, 
Prince  of  Kiev,  had 
loved,  was  Malyusha, 
his  mother's  hand- 
maiden ;  and  her  son 
Vladimir  was  treated 
by  his  princely  father 
just  the  same  as  the 
other  sons  borne  to  him 
by  his  chief  wives. 
The  little  lad  grew 
up  in  the  apartments  of  his  clever  grandmother  Olga, 
who  may  have  spoken  to  the  bright  and  high-spirited 
boy  about  her  own  faith  ;  but  it  had  evidently  not 
made  any  impression  on  him,  and  Vladimir  grew 
up  into  a  most  zealous  worshipper  of  Perun,  the  god 
of  thunder. 

While  yet  a  child,  his  father  appointed  him  Prince 
of  Novgorod,  for  the  people  of  that  city  had  requested 
Svyatoslav  to  allow  a  prince  of  his  house  to  come  and 
live  among  them  ;  and  Vladimir,  under  the  guardian- 
ship of  his  mother's  brother,  one  Dobrinya,  spent  his 
boyhood  and  early  manhood  in  that  ancient  northern 

trading  centre. 

36 


HOW  VLADIMIR  BECAME  ST.  VLADIMIR    37 

So  long  as  Svyatoslav,  who  reigned  from  958  to  973, 
was  alive  all  went  well  ;  but  when  he  died,  in  the  full 
bloom  of  manhood,  quarrels  broke  out  between  his 
sons.  Yarapolk,  his  eldest  son,  who  had  taken  his 
brother  Oleg's  principality  by  force,  was  now  going  to 
make  war  on  Vladimir  in  order  to  take  possession  also 
of  Novgorod  ;  whereupon  Vladimir  fled  to  Scandinavia 
with  his  uncle,  and  for  two  years  Yarapolk  held  un- 
disputed sway  over  all  the  Russian  lands.  Another 
cause  for  bitter  strife  between  the  two  brothers  was  a 
beautiful  maiden,  Rogneda,  the  daughter  of  Rogvolod, 
Prince  of  Polotsk.  Both  brothers  desired  her,  but  it 
was  to  Yarapolk  that  she  betrothed  herself,  having 
refused  Vladimir  with  these  scathing  words  :  "  Never 
will  I  unloose  the  shoe-latchet  of  the  son  of  a  slave  " 
— referring  to  his  mother's  lowly  position.  This  insult 
he  decided  to  avenge,  and,  having  gathered  together  a 
band  of  warriors  ready  to  follow  him  anywhere,  he 
returned  to  Russia.  He  conquered  Polotsk,  killed 
Rogneda's  father  and  brothers,  and  took  the  proud 
damsel  to  wife.  Not  satisfied  with  having  robbed  his 
brother  of  his  bride,  Vladimir  now  aimed  at  depriving 
him  of  his  principality,  for  he  who  ruled  over  Kiev 
was  considered  chief  among  the  princes. 

Through  the  forests  he  and  his  Drujina  rode  on 
towards  that  famous  city.  As  they  approached  it, 
Vladimir  sent  messengers  before  him  to  warn  his 
brother  of  his  coming,  for  it  was  against  the  code  of 
honour  of  a  Russian  prince  to  take  his  enemy  unawares. 
Yarapolk  was,  however,  betrayed  by  one  of  his  fol- 
lowers and  killed.  Kiev  was  then  seized  by  Vladimir, 
who  also  took  to  himself  his  brother's  young  widow,  a 


38  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

fair  and  lovely  Greek  lady,  formerly  a  nun,  whom  his 
father  had  brought  back  as  a  captive  of  war. 

He  now  reigned  in  Kiev,  and  soon  the  fame  of  his 
prowess,  of  his  victorious  campaigns,  of  his  feasts  and 
revellings,  and  of  his  merry,  cheerful  nature  spread  all 
over  the  country.  Warriors  and  knights  came  from  all 
parts  to  join  his  company  of  heroes — his  Drujina.  It 
was  a  time  when  the  restless  Norsemen  were  threading 
the  seas  in  all  directions,  coming  as  invaders  to  Britain 
to  be  bought  off  with  the  Danegeld,  and  as  welcome 
guests  to  Kiev.  All  the  knights  who  joined  Vladimir, 
or  "  Fair  Sun,"  as  they  called  him,  were  glad  to  follow 
so  great  a  leader  and  so  generous,  genial  and  clever 
a  ruler.  The  Russians  loved  fair  women  as  well  as 
brave  men,  and  this  led  to  his  becoming  a  much- 
married  man  ;  for,  according  to  the  chronicler,  he  had 
as  chief  wives  Rogneda,  the  proud  beauty  of  Polotsk, 
his  brother's  Grecian  widow,  and  also  a  Bohemian  and 
a  Bulgarian,  and,  besides  them,  eight  hundred  secondary 
wives,  who  were  established  in  three  different  parts  of 
the  country. 

The  first  five  years  of  his  reign  in  Kiev  were  passed 
in  campaigns,  for  a  Fair  Sun  "  undertook  many  warlike 
expeditions,  conquering  tribes  and  levying  tribute.  On 
the  west  his  dominions  extended  right  up  to  the  gates 
of  Cracow  and  Przemysl  ;  he  also  took  all  Galicia  and 
Volhynia,  where  he  founded  the  town  of  Vladimir,  and 
in  the  south  his  rule  extended  as  far  as  the  Carpathians. 

Under  Vladimir  the  worship  of  the  gods  Perun, 
Daghbog,  and  Voloss  was  zealously  practised.  In 
various  places  the  Grand  Duke  had  images  of  these 
gods  put  up  ;  in  one  place  a  gigantic  figure  of  Perun, 


HOW  VLADIMIR  BECAME  ST.  VLADIMIR   39 

with  a  silver  head  and  a  heavy  gold  moustache.  This 
revival  of  paganism  made  life  more  difficult  for  the 
small  band  of  Christians  who,  during  Svyatoslav's 
reign,  had  been  left  in  peace,  for  now  they  were  not 
only  scoffed  at  but  occasionally  even  persecuted. 
Although  human  sacrifices  were  not  customary  among 
the  Slavs,  Vladimir  on  one  occasion  desired  to  celebrate 
a  victory  by  the  sacrifice  of  a  youth  or  maiden,  the 
victim  to  be  chosen  by  the  casting  of  lots.  The  choice 
fell  on  a  Christian  boy,  "  beautiful  in  soul  and  body," 
but  his  father,  a  Christian  Varangian,  refused  to  hand 
him  over,  saying,  "  You  say,  c  Our  gods  want  thy 
son  '  ;  well,  these  are  not  gods,  but  just  pieces  of  wood 
which  in  a  short  time  rot  away.  Your  idols  neither  eat 
nor  drink,  nor  do  they  speak.  There  is  only  one  God, 
He  whom  the  Greeks  worship  and  serve,  and  Who 
has  made  heaven  and  earth,  the  stars,  the  sun  and  the 
moon,  and  all  that  has  life.  But  your  gods,  what 
have  they  done  ?  They  themselves  have  been  made 
by  you,  and  therefore  I  will  not  give  my  son  to  be 
sacrificed  unto  demons." 

This  speech,  and  the  father's  refusal  to  give  up  the 
boy,  greatly  enraged  the  people,  who  fell  upon  the 
Christian  and  his  son,  killing  both.  Some  years  later 
this  same  father  and  son  were  canonized  by  the  Church 
as  the  first  Russian  martyrs,  and  July  8  is  the  day 
dedicated  to  these  two  saints,  St.  Theodor  and  St. 
Ivan. 

A  time  came,  however,  when  even  Vladimir  turned 
from  his  idols.  In  order  not  to  be  behind  the  times, 
and  also  to  enhance  his  prestige  and  power,  he  decided 
to  exchange  his  heathen  faith  for  the  religion  of  the 


40  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

States  with  which  he  had  come  into  political  contact 
—the  Byzantine  Empire,  Bulgaria,  Hungary  and 
Poland.  It  was  difficult  for  him  to  decide  upon  a 
matter  about  which  he  knew  so  little,  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  his  grandmother  had  been  a  devout  Christian, 
and  that  many  of  the  merchants  who  traded  with  Kiev 
came  from  Christian  countries.  It  is,  however,  possible 
that  the  chronicler  is  right  in  crediting  Vladimir  with 
partly  spiritual  motives.  He  tells  us  that — <c  The 
Spirit  of  the  Highest  came  upon  him  and  enlightened 
his  mind  and  heart  so  that  he  perceived  the  vanity  and 
error  of  paganism,  and  therefore  he  turned  to  the  one 
God  who  created  all  creatures  visible  and  invisible." 
Whether  this  was  so,  or  whether  it  was  merely  political 
wisdom  that  influenced  Vladimir,  who  can  tell  ?  He 
was,  however,  evidently  sincerely  desirous  of  choosing 
the  best  religion,  and  therefore  listened  readily  to  the 
various  missionaries  who,  according  to  the  chronicler, 
came  to  him  for  the  purpose  of  urging  him  to  accept 
their  creed.  But  perhaps  these  men  had  an  eye  to 
business  as  well,  and  were  anxious  to  promote  the 
interests  of  trade  by  winning  over  the  famous  prince 
to  their  own  religion. 

The  first  men  to  speak  to  him  on  the  subject  were 
some  Moslem  Bulgars  ;  they  told  him  that,  although  he 
was  a  great  and  wise  ruler,  he  was  nevertheless  ignorant 
of  the  law  and  faith  of  the  great  Prophet.  In  reply  to 
Vladimir's  question,  in  what  their  law  consisted,  the 
Moslems  told  him  that  it  consisted  in  the  rite  of 
circumcision,  in  abstention  from  all  strong  drink  and 
from  the  flesh  of  swine  ;  but,  in  compensation  for  this 
self-denial,  great  pleasures  awaited  the  faithful  in 


HOW  VLADIMIR  BECAME  ST.  VLADIMIR   41 

paradise,  where  at  least  seventy  of  the  most  beautiful 
women  should  be  given  to  him  by  the  prophet.  The 
prohibition  of  the  drinking  of  wine,  that  "joy  of  the 
Russians,"  was  sufficient  to  prejudice  the  prince  against 
Islam. 

When,  therefore,  some  Germans  in  their  turn 
brought  messages  from  the  Pope  and  offered  to  in- 
struct him  in  their  faith,  he  willingly  listened  to  them. 
"  We  have  the  true  light,"  they  said  ;  "  and  while  we 
worship  the  Creator  of  all  things,  thou,  O  Prince,  art 
bowing  down  to  idols  made  of  wood."  So  far,  so 
good  !  The  hitch  came  when  he  asked  for  the  rules 
of  their  religion.  cc  Fasting  to  the  uttermost  of  one's 
strength,  and  all  eating  and  drinking  to  be  done  only 
to  the  glory  of  God."  This  did  not  appeal  to  the 
pleasure-loving  Russian  any  more  than  did  the  Moslem 
creed  ;  and  he  therefore  bade  the  representatives  of  the 
Western  Church  depart. 

News  that  Vladimir  was  looking  out  for  a  new 
religion  had  also  reached  the  Jews  who  dwelt  among 
the  Khazars,  and  they  now  felt  it  their  duty  to  go  and 
urge  upon  him  the  acceptance  of  their  creed.  u  We 
hear  that  the  Bulgars  and  Germans  have  come  to  lay 
before  thee  their  several  religions,"  they  said.  "  We 
worship  God,  but  the  Christians  worship  One  whom 
we  have  crucified."  Just  as  Vladimir  had  enquired  of 
the  others,  so  now  he  questioned  the  Jews  regarding 
their  law,  and  also  asked  them  which  country  was 
theirs.  To  the  first  question  they  replied  that  their 
law  enforced  circumcision  and  abstention  from  the 
flesh  of  swine  and  hares.  To  the  second  question 
their  answer  was  "Jerusalem."  But  when  he  heard 


42  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

from  them  that  God  had  been  angry  with  their  fore- 
fathers, and  because  of  their  sins  had  scattered  their 
people  and  had  given  their  land  to  the  Christians,  Vladi- 
mir was  wrath  with  them,  and  said,  "  How  dare  you  even 
attempt  to  teach  others  while  you  yourselves  are  under 
the  anger  of  your  God.  If  He  had  really  loved  you 
and  your  law  He  would  not  have  scattered  you  ;  but 
now  you  want  the  same  ill-fate  to  befall  us  !  " 

The  next  to  come  were  Greeks  from  Byzantium,  who 
put  before  Vladimir  the  beauty  of  their  faith.  They 
spoke  of  "  Christ  the  Incarnate  Word,  of  His  death 
and  passion,"  and  as  Vladimir  listened  he  was  over- 
come with  awe  and  surprise,  and  asked,  "Why  did 
God  come  down  upon  earth,  and  why  did  He  take 
such  suffering  upon  Himself  ? "  Perceiving  that  they 
had  touched  his  heart,  the  Greek  Christians  "  now  told 
him  all  from  the  very  beginning,  until  the  Seventh 
Council/*  They  also  showed  him  a  painting  in  which 
the  Last  Judgment  was  vividly  depicted.  There,  at 
the  right  hand  were  the  righteous  going  up  into 
paradise  with  joy  and  gladness,  while  there,  at  the  left, 
were  the  wicked  going  down  into  perdition.  When 
the  meaning  of  the  picture  had  been  explained  to 
Vladimir,  he  sighed  deeply  and  said,  "  How  happy  is 
the  lot  of  those  at  the  right  hand,  but  woe  unto  those 
on  the  left  !  "  Seeing  what  a  deep  impression  they 
had  made  on  the  prince,  the  missionaries  told  him 
that  this  blessedness  could  be  his  on  condition  that 
he  would  allow  himself  to  be  baptised. 

Although  Vladimir  took  all  this  to  heart,  he  was  not 
going  to  be  hurried  into  making  a  definite  decision  on 
so  important  a  question,  but  promised  to  enquire  still 


HOW  VLADIMIR  BECAME  ST.  VLADIMIR   43 

further  into  the  mysteries  of  their  faith.  He  was 
so  much  in  earnest  that  he  selected  ten  of  his  most 
trusted  friends  and  sent  them  on  a  journey  to  Bulgaria, 
Rome  and  Byzantium,  where  they  were  to  see  for 
themselves  how  the  various  peoples  worshipped  God. 

When  news  reached  the  two  Emperors,  Constantine 
and  Basil,  at  Byzantium  that  a  Russian  embassy  had 
come  to  study  the  Christian  religion  on  behalf  of 
the  famous  Prince  of  Kiev,  they  gave  orders  to  the 
Patriarch  to  hold  a  specially  solemn  service  for  the 
benefit  of  the  pagan  envoys,  who  were  deeply  im- 
pressed by  the  clouds  of  incense  and  by  the  wonderful 
singing  of  the  choir.  Delighted  and  enchanted  by 
this  pomp  and  beauty,  they  listened  gladly  to  an 
explanation  of  the  deep  symbolic  meaning  of  the 
service.  The  Emperors  sent  for  the  envoys,  did  them 
much  honour,  gave  them  presents  and  told  them  to 
return  to  their  country  and  report  to  their  prince 
all  they  had  seen. 

This  they  did,  and  to  the  Grand  Duke  and  his 
councillors,  who  were  sitting  round  him  listening  with 
eager  interest,  these  envoys  now  described  the  squalid 
mosques  of  Bulgaria,  and  the  lack  of  beauty  in  the 
churches  at  Rome  ;  when,  however,  they  came  to  their 
visit  to  Tsargrad,  joy  welled  up  in  their  hearts  at  the 
memory  of  all  the  glory  and  beauty  they  had  been 
privileged  to  behold  at  Byzantium.  u  We  were  taken 
to  the  place  where  the  Greeks  worship  their  God," 
they  said,  "  and  we  almost  thought  we  were  already  in 
heaven,  for  nowhere  on  earth  had  we  beheld  such 
beauty,  nor  can  we  describe  it.  But  this  we  learnt  : 
that  God  dwells  everywhere  with  man,  and  that  he  is 


44  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

worshipped  in  many  lands.  Never  shall  we  forget  the 
beauty  we  have  seen,  and,  just  as  no  one  willingly 
tastes  the  bitter  after  having  tasted  the  sweet,  so  we 
also  can  no  longer  remain  here,  but  must  return  to  the 
place  where  God  is  worshipped  in  such  beauty." 

This  report  greatly  affected  the  boyars,  who  urged 
Vladimir  to  accept  the  faith  of  the  Greeks  ;  and,  to 
strengthen  their  plea,  they  reminded  him  of  the  fact 
that  his  grandmother  Olga,  who  had  been  the  wisest  of 
women,  had  made  this  form  of  faith  her  own.  So  in 
the  end  Vladimir  decided  to  become  a  Christian,  and 
the  only  question  remaining  to  be  settled  was  where 
he  should  he  baptised. 

Just  about  this  time  the  two  Emperors  of 
Byzantium  were  being  pressed  on  many  sides  by 
their  enemies  the  Poles  and  the  Germans,  and  in 
their  need  they  called  upon  the  mighty  Ruler  of 
Kiev  for  aid.  As  a  reward  they  offered  him  the 
hand  of  their  sister  Anna,  on  condition,  however, 
that  he  should  first  be  baptised.  Vladimir  was  glad 
to  assist  them  ;  but  time  went  on,  and  the  promised 
princess  was  not  sent  to  him,  for  now  that  the  danger 
of  an  attack  was  passed,  it  seemed  unthinkable  to  give 
the  u  purple-born "  daughter  of  the  "purple-born" 
Emperor  in  wedlock  to  the  Russian  barbarian.  This 
enraged  Vladimir,  and  he  therefore  laid  seige  to  the 
city  of  Korsun  in  the  Crimea,  where  Sevastopol  now 
stands.  He  had,  however,  yet  another  reason  for 
besieging  the  town  ;  for,  having  decided  to  become  a 
Christian,  he  needed  priests  to  baptise  him  and  his 
people.  But  his  pride  rebelled  against  having  to  ask 
for  them,  so  he  meant  to  get  them  by  force  of  arms. 


HOW  VLADIMIR  BECAME  ST.  VLADIMIR   45 

There  were  also  important  political  reasons  under- 
lying his  action,  for  Vladimir  knew  that  the  Greek 
Emperors  were  only  too  ready  to  claim  all  orthodox 
Christians  as  their  subjects  ;  and  in  order  to  avoid  the 
danger  of  his  being  considered  a  vassal,  he  took  this 
high-handed  proceeding,  intending  to  come  before 
them  as  a  conqueror  instead  of  a  suppliant. 

After  a  siege  of  six  months'  duration,  the  town  was 
forced  to  surrender,  having  been  betrayed  by  a  Greek, 
who  gave  certain  information  to  the  Grand  Duke  of 
Kiev,  which  enabled  him  to  cut  off  the  water-supply. 
Vladimir's  threat  to  attack  Byzantium  unless  the 
promised  bride  was  brought  to  him  influenced 
the  terrified  Byzantine  rulers,  and  Anna's  objections 
to  the  marriage  were  overridden.  She  was  consoled 
for  the  sacrifice  by  the  assurance  that  in  marrying 
the  Russian  barbarian  she  would  have  a  unique 
opportunity  of  influencing  a  heathen  people  to  adopt 
Christianity. 

Before,  however,  the  marriage  ceremony  could  be 
performed,  or  even  before  he  could  become  a  Chris- 
tian, Vladimir  was  obliged  to  get  rid  of  his  many 
wives  ;  among  the  principal  of  these  four  had  been 
Christians  when  he  married  them.  Predslava,  a  Var- 
angian, he  sent  to  Novgorod  ;  Rogneda,  the  beautiful 
maiden  of  Polotsk,  whom  he  had  re-named  Glorislava, 
retired  into  a  nunnery  ;  Malfreda,  the  Bohemian,  did 
not  long  survive  the  separation  ;  but  there  were  still 
Adel  (a  Czech)  and  Milolika  (a  Bulgarian — his  favourite) 
to  dispose  of,  and  these  and  his  other  eight  hundred 
wives  he  gave  in  marriage  to  his  vassals  and  boyars. 

Finally  all    was    arranged,  and  the  Greek    princess 


46  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

was  married  in  Korsun  to  Vladimir,  who,  meanwhile, 
had  been  baptised.  He  did  not  retain  the  conquered 
town,  but  handed  it  over  to  his  wife  as  a  dowry,  and 
in  doing  so  restored  it  to  Byzantium.  After  the 
wedding  Vladimir  left  Korsun,  carrying  back  with  him 
to  his  capital  not  only  priests  to  baptise  and  instruct 
his  people,  but  also  holy  pictures  and  vestments  to 
help  in  furnishing  the  churches  which  he  meant  to 
build.  For  this  latter  purpose  he  also  brought  back 
with  him  Greek  architects  and  builders. 

The  first  thing  Vladimir  set  himself  to  do  on  arriving 
in  Kiev  was  to  have  his  subjects  baptised.  As  there 
was  no  priestly  caste  among  the  heathen  Russians,  and 
as  their  faith  contained  no  dogma,  but  consisted  chiefly 
of  superstitions,  there  were  no  particular  objections  to 
be  overcome.  The  people  in  and  around  Kiev  were 
the  first  to  undergo  the  new  rite.  On  a  given  day,  in 
the  year  988,  when  all  had  been  summoned  for  the 
general  baptism,  the  great  statue  of  Perun  was  pulled 
down,  tied  to  the  tail  of  a  horse,  dragged  down  the  hill, 
beaten  with  sticks,  and  finally  flung  into  the  river. 
The  vast  crowd  witnessed  the  degradation  of  their  god, 
and  saw  for  themselves  that  he  was  incapable  of 
defending  himself,  not  even  seeming  to  resent  the 
ill-treatment  meted  out  to  him. 

Trusting  in  the  superior  wisdom  of  their  rulers,  of 
the  princes  and  the  boyars,  the  people  c<  joyfully  entered 
the  river  and  received  baptism,  sure  that  what  the  great 
people  had  accepted  must  be  good."  True,  the 
chronicler  tells  us  that  "  Vladimir  advised  his  people 
to  be  baptised,  and  those  who  did  not  do  so  from 
inclination  did  so  from  fear,  as  the  Grand  Duke's  zeal 


HOW  VLADIMIR  BECAME  ST.  VLADIMIR   47 

for   the    faith    was  linked  with  violence,  and  no  one 
dared  disobey  his  pious  command." 

In  Novgorod,  however,  where  Vladimir  sent  his 
uncle  Dobrinya,  together  with  a  bishop  and  some 
priests,  the  change  of  religion  was  not  so  peacefully 
brought  about.  The  people  bitterly  resented  the 
attacks  on  their  idols  by  the  emissaries  of  the  Grand 
Duke,  who  preached  to  them  in  the  streets  and  market- 
place ;  and  when  called  together  by  their  chiefs,  the 
crowds  of  heathen  angrily  refused  to  listen  to  this  new 
doctrine,  convinced  that  it  was  better  for  them  to  die 
than  to  let  their  gods  be  insulted.  Influenced  by  the 
wonderful  eloquence  of  their  chief,  the  people  broke 
out  in  riot,  attacked  Dobrinya's  house  and  killed  his 
wife  ;  they  also  destroyed  a  church  which  had  been 
built  some  time  before  by  Christian  Varangians.  But 
by  means  of  a  ruse,  Poutyata,  one  of  Vladimir's  men, 
managed  to  get  the  upper  hand  ;  he  sent  for  men  from 
another  town,  and  with  this  aid  attacked  Novgorod, 
and  a  regular  battle  ensued.  It  was  only  after  many 
houses  had  been  destroyed  and  many  people  killed 
that  the  citizens  sued  for  peace,  which  was  promised  on 
condition  that  they  would  be  baptised. 

To  this  they  consented,  and  Dobrinya  promptly 
proceeded  to  destroy  all  the  idols  :  those  of  stone  were 
broken  up  and  thrown  into  the  river,  and  those  of 
wood  were  burned.  This  caused  great  sorrow  and 
anguish  of  heart  to  the  heathen,  who  wept  bitterly,  and 
pleaded  with  Dobrinya  to  spare  their  gods.  But  he 
only  laughed  and  said,  "  Ye  unreasonable  people,  why 
do  you  worry  about  those  who  cannot  help  them- 
selves ? "  Perun  was  especially  badly  treated,  and  as 


48  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

he  was  being  beaten  and  dragged  to  the  river,  a  demon 
entered  into  him,  who  cried  out,  "  Woe  is  me  ;  I  am 
catching  it  soundly  from  unmerciful  hands  !  "  The 
bishop  strictly  forbade  anyone  to  give  him  help  or 
shelter,  and  therefore  when,  the  next  day,  Perun  swam 
ashore  and  tried  to  climb  up  the  banks,  one  of  the 
newly-baptised  Christians  pushed  him  back  into  the 
river,  saying,  "  Perun,  thou  hast  eaten  and  drunk  thy 
fill  ;  now  just  swim  away  !  n 

On  a  given  day  all  the  people  had  to  present  them- 
selves for  baptism,  and  those  who  did  not  come 
voluntarily  were  dragged  along  by  armed  force.  Thus 
everybody  was  baptised  in  the  river,  trie  men  above, 
the  women  below,  the  bridge.  Many,  however,  in 
order  to  escape  baptism,  pretended  that  they  were 
already  Christians.  When  this  was  found  out,  all 
who  had  been  christened  were  commanded  to  have  a 
cross  hung  around  their  necks,  and  whoever  was 
detected  without  one  was  thereupon  forcibly  baptised. 
Thus  quiet  was  restored  in  Novgorod,  and  Poutyata 
returned  to  Kiev  ;  but  the  people  scoffed  at  the  way 
in  which  Christianity  had  been  introduced,  saying  : 
"Poutyata  baptised  with  the  sword,  and  Dobrinya 
with  fire  !  " 

Gradually  the  new  faith  spread  throughout  the 
Russian  lands,  and  all  Vladimir's  Slav  subjects  were 
baptised.  For  political  reasons,  however,  he  left  the 
other  tribes — especially  those  of  the  north-east  of 
Russia,  who  clung  to  their  old  faith — undisturbed  ; 
since  his  rule  over  them  was  not  yet  established,  the 
prudent  prince  did  not  wish  to  irritate  them. 

Thus  the  Russians  became  Christians  outwardly,  but 


HOW  VLADIMIR  BECAME  ST.  VLADIMIR   49 

remained  heathens  in  their  hearts,  retaining  all  their 
old  customs.  There  were  not  sufficient  priests  to  teach 
them,  and  the  people  merely  added  Christianity  to 
their  old  beliefs.  Just  as  they  had  been  baptised  them- 
selves, so  in  all  good  faith  they  also  christened  their 
gods.  Perun,  the  Thunder  God,  they  christened  Elijah, 
and  to  this  day  the  prophet  celebrates  his  day  with 
thunder.  For  quite  two  centuries  the  Russian  people 
held  this  dual  faith,  much  to  the  grief  of  their  spiritual 
leaders.  Vladimir  realized  the  necessity  of  instructing 
the  people  in  the  new  religion,  but  the  great  difficulty 
was  to  procure  priests  who  could  speak  to  them 
in  their  own  tongue.  Finally  he  sent  to  Bulgaria, 
where  a  language  very  similar  to  the  Russian  was 
spoken,  whence  priests  came  who  brought  with  them 
the  written  Word — for  Cyril  and  Methodius,  the  great 
missionaries  to  the  southern  Slavs,  had  invented  an 
alphabet  and  had  translated  the  Holy  Scriptures  into 
Slavonic. 

Vladimir  built  many  churches  in  Kiev,  some  of  wood 
and  some  of  stone,  besides  a  fine  cathedral  which  he 
dedicated  to  a  the  Mother  of  God."  For  the  upkeep 
of  this  cathedral,  and  for  the  support  of  the  Metro- 
politan and  his  clergy,  the  Grand  Duke  set  apart  a 
tenth  of  all  his  princely  revenues,  whether  in  fur  or 
honey,  in  corn  or  merchandise.  Thus,  the  church  of 
the  "  tenth,"  as  it  was  called,  stands  to  this  day  a 
witness  to  Vladimir's  zeal  and  earnestness. 

He  also  commanded  the  boyars  and  the  leading 
citizens  to  send  their  children  to  the  newly-founded 
schools,  where  they  were  taught  by  the  priests.  The 
mothers  wept  over  this  order  as  though  it  were  death, 


50  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

and  not  instruction,  that  awaited  their  little  ones.  By 
this  far-seeing  policy  Vladimir  prepared  a  future 
generation  of  Christians,  not  only  in  name,  but  in 
reality  ;  and  this  first  set  of  scholars  provided  Russia 
with  native-born  Christian  leaders  and  priests. 

According  to  the  Chronicle,  "  Vladimir  prepared  the 
soil,  broke  up  the  ground  and  made  it  soft  and  loose  ; 
that  is  to  say,  he  enlightened  the  people  by  introducing 
Christianity.  To  his  son  Yaroslav,  however,  it  was 
given  to  sow  the  seed  in  the  soil  which  was  already 
prepared  :  he  furthered  instruction  by  means  of  books. 
Vladimir  baptised,  Yaroslav  taught  and  established  the 
people  in  the  faith." 

In  his  desire  to  spread  Christianity  the  Grand  Duke 
travelled  all  over  the  country,  urging  the  people  to 
become  Christians.  "  Thus,"  again  to  quote  the 
chronicler,"  our  land  began  to  praise  the  Christ,  the 
Father,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,"  and  paganism  became  a 
forbidden  creed.  Most  of  those  wrho  adhered  to  it 
did  so  in  secret.  But  there  were  others  who  rebelled 
against  this  change  of  faith,  and  openly  clung  to  their 
old  gods  ;  they  fled  into  the  forests,  where  they  lived  as 
outlaws,  and  thus  the  number  of  robbers  enormously 
increased.  Vladimir  at  first  did  not  proceed  against 
them  with  sufficient  energy,  for  the  erstwhile  warlike 
prince  had,  since  his  baptism,  become  averse  to  fighting 
and  was  growing  almost  too  lenient.  But  a  strong 
hand  was  needed  to  keep  down  this  lawlessness,  and  at 
last  the  Bishop  of  Kiev  asked  Vladimir  why  it  was  that 
he  did  not  have  these  robbers  put  to  death.  "  Because 
1  do  not  wish  to  commit  sin,"  was  the  Grand  Duke's 
reply.  Then  he  was  told  by  the  bishop  that  God  had 


HOW  VLADIMIR  BECAME  ST.  VLADIMIR    51 

entrusted  him  with  power  and  had  made  him  a  judge 
over  evildoers  and  a  rewarder  of  virtue,  <c  and  that  it 
was  his  duty  to  punish  the  robbers,  but  that  a  thorough 
enquiry  should  be  made  first."  Thereupon  Vladimir 
no  longer  merely  imposed  fines,  but  had  the  robbers 
put  to  death  instead,  until  his  counsellors,  perceiving 
how  much  money  was  thereby  lost,  induced  him  to  re- 
establish fines.  "For/'  they  said,  Ct  we  have  frequent 
wars,  and  this  money  comes  in  usefully  for  the  purchase 
of  weapons  and  horses." 

The  increased  intercourse  with  Byzantium,  now  no 
longer  merely  commercial,  deeply  influenced  Russian 
life  and  customs.  The  introduction  of  Christianity 
brought  culture  in  its  wake  ;  moreover,  Vladimir  loved 
beauty  and  art,  and  appreciated  learning.  A  wise  man, 
he  knew  how  to  retain  the  old  and  yet  adapt  it  to  the 
new  conditions  ;  his  generous  and  humane  character, 
his  desire  to  see  all  around  him  happy  and  content,  the 
cheerfulness  of  his  disposition  and  his  love  of  merriment 
and  social  pleasure  made  him  merciful  and  charitable. 
Formerly  he  and  his  Drujina  and  the  boyars  had 
revelled  and  feasted  to  their  hearts'  content,  had  eaten 
and  drunk  and  been  merry.  Now  the  poor  and  needy, 
the  orphan  and  the  widow  were  remembered  when  the 
feast  was  spread  ;  and  to  those  who  were  too  sick  to 
come  to  the  palace  he  sent  food.  On  all  the  great 
saints'  day  and  holy  days  everybody  was  free  to  join 
the  feasting  in  his  palace  yard,  where  prince  and  people, 
leaders  and  led,  met  in  friendly  intercourse.  This  also 
served  the  political  purpose  of  drawing  the  classes 
together. 

Valorous  knights  from  all  parts  were  drawn  to  Kiev 


52  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

by  the  fame  of  Vladimir,  for  the  renown  of  this  merry, 
genial,  and  generous  prince  had  spread  far  and  wide. 
Thus  it  came  about  that  while  he  remained  at  home 
organizing  his  lands,  building  up  his  dominion  and 
fostering  the  peaceful  arts,  his  Bogatyrs  or  knights 
went  out  to  fight  against  enemies  and  oppressors,  and 
returned  to  him  to  tell  of  great  deeds  done  and  of 
victories  won. 

Vladimir's  most  bitter  and  dangerous  foes  were  the 
Petchenegs,  from  whose  raids  his  people  suffered 
terribly.  Tales  of  their  fierceness  and  cruelty  had 
spread  even  as  far  as  Germany,  and  the  missionary  Brun 
writes  in  the  year  1007  that  he  "went  to  the  fiercest  of 
all  the  heathen — the  Petchenegs,''  and  that  "  the  Grand 
Duke  of  Kiev,  who  reigned  over  vast  lands,  pleaded 
with  him  not  to  go  amongst  those  people,  as  he  was 
sure  that  he,  Brun,  would  be  killed  by  them."  He 
gratefully  records  that  on  his  refusal  to  give  up  his 
intention,  Vladimir  himself  accompanied  him  to  the 
very  borders  of  the  Petchenegs'  country,  where  they 
parted,  the  prince  full  of  foreboding  for  the  gentle 
Christian.  Five  months  later,  however,  after  a  success- 
ful mission,  Brun  returned  to  Kiev,  having  not  only 
baptised  thirty  heathen,  but  having  also  prevailed  upon 
the  Chief  of  the  Petchenegs  to  make  peace  with 
Vladimir.  This  prince  now  sent  one  of  his  sons, 
accompanied  by  a  bishop,  as  envoy  to  his  former 
enemies,  and  for  a  while  Russia  was  at  rest. 

Towards  the  end  of  his  reign  Vladimir  suffered  much 
grief  and  sorrow  on  account  of  his  sons,  some  of  whom 
rebelled  against  him.  For  Vladimir  had  given  to  his 
twelve  sons  and  several  nephews  land  for  their  posses- 


HOW  VLADIMIR  BECAME  ST.  VLADIMIR   53 

sion,  laying  thereby  the  foundation  for  much  trouble 
in  the  future,  and  the  realm  he  had  so  zealously 
striven  to  consolidate  was  to  be  rent  asunder  under  the 
rule  of  his  descendants.  Yaroslav,  to  whom  he  had 
given  Novgorod,  caused  him  much  trouble  by  his 
refusal  to  hand  over  the  right  proportion  of  the  taxes 
gathered  by  him  on  behalf  of  his  father.  Vladimir  then 
decided  to  go  against  his  son  and  meet  him  in  battle; 
but  death  overtook  him,  and  "  the  devil  was  robbed 
of  the  pleasure  of  seeing  father  and  son  at  war  with 
each  other." 

When  the  people  heard  of  Vladimir's  death  they 
gathered  in  crowds  and  made  great  lamentation. 
"  The  boyars  bemoaned  the  loss  of  their  leader,  the 
people  of  their  protector,  and  the  poor  of  their 
sustainer."  Vladimir  was  a  new  type  of  ruler  in 
Russia — not  merely  a  knight  amongst  knights,  or  a 
greater  chief  amongst  lesser  chiefs— but  an  acknow- 
ledged king,  the  founder  of  a  dynasty/  He  was  also  a 
true  statesman,  to  whose  wisdom  and  foresight  ancient 
Russia  owed  her  first  consolidation  as  a  state.  It  was 
he  who  introduced  gold  and  silver  coinage  ;  on  one 
side  of  the  coin  was  the  figure  of  Our  Lord,  and  on  the 
other  Vladimir  in  imperial  robes,  holding  a  cross  in  his 
hand.  A  Russian  Metropolitan,  one  of  the  firstfruits 
of  the  schools  founded  by  Vladimir,  wrote  in  praise  of 
him  in  1050:  "Rome  sings  the  praise  of  Peter  and 
Paul,  all  countries  and  cities  and  men  honour  and 
glorify  their  teacher  who  has  taught  them  the 
faith.  .  .  .  Let  us  also,  as  much  as  in  us  lies,  praise 
with  humble  thanksgiving  our  teacher  and  instructor, 
who  has  done  great  and  wondrous  teachings,  the  great 


54  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

Khan  of  our  land,  Vladimir,  the  grandson  of  Igor,  the 
son  of  the  glorious  Svyatoslav.  ..."  Yet  it  was  not 
until  1257,  nearly  two  and  a  half  centuries  after  his 
death,  that  this  champion  of  the  Christian  faith  was 
canonized  ;  for  the  very  feasts,  with  their  sumptuousness 
and  good  cheer,  which  had  made  him  so  popular  with 
his  people,  were  made  a  reproach  to  him  by  the  ascetic 
clergy  of  a  later  date,  and  it  was  only  after  these 
festivities  had  been  forgotten  that  his  zeal  for  the 
faith  was  recognized  by  the  Church,  and  he  was  made 
into  St.  Vladimir. 

In  the  memory  of  a  loving  people,  however,  he  lives 
as  the  joyous,  chivalrous,  glorious  "  Fair  Sun." 
Around  his  attractive  personality  and  exploits,  as  well 
as  those  of  the  mighty  men  who  surrounded  him, 
whole  cycles  of  romantic  tales  have  been  woven,  and 
it  is  in  these  "  Byilinas "  that  the  life  and  soul  of 
those  heroic  days  have  been  preserved  for  all  time. 
The  most  famous  of  Vladimir's  bold  knights  were  Ilya 
Mourometz,  Dobryinia  Nikititch,and  Alesha  Popovitch, 
whose  names  have  become  household  words.  Thus,  in 
the  story  of  the  life  of  Vladimir,  romance,  tradition 
and  history  meet,  and  at  one  and  the  same  time  he  is 
glorified  as  the  valorous  pagan  knight,  venerated  as 
the  christianizer  of  Russia,  and  appraised  as  the 
founder  of  the  Russian  Empire. 


THE    COIN    OF    VLADIMIR. 
Discovered  in  1812. 


CHAPTER   V 


PREDSLAVA    AND    GRADISLAVA,     DAUGHTERS    OF    THE 
PRINCE    OF    POLOTSK 

Y  the  twelfth  century 
Russia  had  fallen  on 
evil  days ;  the  Russian 
land  had  gradually 
been  divided  up  into 
numerous  principali- 
ties, the  rulers  of  which 
were  perpetually  at  war 
with  one  another :  just 
as  it  was  at  that  time 
also  in  England,  where 
unbridled  feudalism 
was  rampant,  when  the  Barons  were  fighting  for  their 
own  interests,  and  the  weak  Stephen  proved  unable  to 
prevent  anarchy. 

There  was  no  unity,  no  solidarity  amongst  the 
princes  of  Russia,  and  the  people  were  the  chief 
sufferers  from  this  state  of  affairs,  for  there  was  a 
chronic  dearth  of  agricultural  labourers,  and  each  side 
strove  to  make  good  its  deficiency  by  bringing  back 
captives  of  war.  As  a  natural  result,  ruin  and  misery 
prevailed,  and  sorrow  reigned  over  the  land  ;  families 
were  separated,  children  became  orphans,  and  wives 

55 


RUSSIAN    PRINCESS. 
From  an  eleventh  century  fresco,  Kiev. 


56  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

were  made  widows,  while  fertile  fields  and  pastures 
were  laid  waste.  The  great  nobles,  callous  and  in- 
different to  the  suffering  around  them,  cared  only  for 
their  own  enrichment  and  glory,  leaving  the  poor  to 
groan  in  utter  helplessness. 

In  this  they  were  not  worse  than  their  peers  in 
Western  Europe  ;  the  Saxon  chronicler  writes  that 
it  is  not  easy  to  recount  all  the  misery  the  poor  people 
suffered  from  baronial  tyranny. 

All,  however,  were  not  callous — at  any  rate,  not 
Predslava,  the  lovely  daughter  of  the  Prince  of  Polotsk. 
From  her  earliest  childhood  this  princess  had  witnessed 
grief  and  sorrow,  had  seen  the  wounded  brought  back 
on  stretchers,  had  heard  the  weeping  of  the  bereaved 
women,  and  had  listened  to  the  tales  told  by  her  father 
and  brothers  on  their  return  from  a  raid — tales  of 
enemies  slain  and  booty  captured. 

As  the  young  girl  listened,  she  wondered  if  it  were 
really  impossible  for  people  to  live  in  peace  and  unity. 
Was  there  not  enough  land  for  everyone  ?  Her  heart 
grew  heavy  at  the  thought  of  all  the  misery  involved, 
and  when  she  grew  older  she  could  no  longer  bear  to 
hear  the  songs  and  rejoicings  of  her  father's  followers  ; 
neither  could  she  take  pleasure  in  the  costly  presents 
brought  to  her  from  these  raids. 

Like  a  lily  amongst  thorns  and  thistles  was  Predslava; 
sweet  and  pure  was  her  life,  but  her  spirit  was  weighed 
down  by  all  the  sorrow  and  wrong-doing  she  had  to 
witness.  Her  one  desire  was  to  bring  joy  to  others, 
to  see  everybody  happy  and  good.  Life  to  her  young 
mind  meant  happiness,  not  misery  ;  and  the  problem 
ever  nearest  to  her  heart  was  how  she  could  bring 


PREDSLAVA   AND   GRADISLAVA        57 

peace  to  those  around  her  who  were  in  such  dire 
need  of  it.  Her  greatest  treasure  was  a  copy  of  the 
New  Testament  which  had  been  written  out  by  some 
pious  monks  ;  it  was  from  this  sacred  book  that  the 
young  princess  had  learned  to  read.  The  wonderful 
story  of  the  life  of  the  Saviour,  who  went  about  doing 
good,  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  receptive  mind 
and  tender  heart  of  the  fair  maiden.  The  more  dis- 
tressed and  perplexed  she  became  by  the  misery  around 
her,  the  more  she  turned  to  her  only  source  of  comfort — 
the  Holy  Book,  whole  pages  of  which  she  committed  to 
memory.  She  wondered  how  it  was  that  more  people 
did  not  know  of  this  solace,  and  on  realizing  that  it 
was  owing  to  the  expense  of  having  it  copied  that  so 
few  could  possess  the  Holy  Book,  she  decided  to 
spend  her  time  in  making  copies  of  it  herself,  to  dis- 
tribute amongst  those  who  could  not  otherwise  obtain 
it.  Surely  people  must  grow  better  through  reading 
the  Gospel,  she  reasoned,  being  convinced  that  it  was 
only  because  they  were  ignorant  and  unenlightened  that 
her  own  dear  people  were  so  cruel  and  heartless. 

The  young  princess,  like  a  ministering  angel,  spent 
her  days  in  works  of  love  and  pity.  She  ordered  food 
to  be  given  to  the  captives  brought  to  the  castle  by 
her  father,  and  spoke  to  them  words  of  encouragement 
and  good  cheer.  With  her  own  hands  she  washed  the 
sores  of  the  wounded,  and  did  everything  so  gently 
and  tenderly  that  all  the  poor  and  suffering  looked 
upon  her  as  an  angel  from  heaven. 

Predslava's  knowledge  of  how  to  care  for  the  sick 
was  gained  not  only  by  experience,  but  also  by  study- 
ing all  that  was  known  about  the  healing  herbs  and 


58  SOME  RUSSIAN   HEROES 

roots  from  which  she  concocted  her  medicines.  Her 
fame  as  a  physician  was  noised  abroad,  and  from  towns 
and  villages  the  sick  and  wounded  began  flocking  to 
the  castle  at  Polotsk,  where  they  found  Predslava 
always  ready  to  help  and  succour  all  who  came  to  her. 
She  not  only  healed  the  sick,  but  fed  the  hungry  and 
gave  money  to  the  poor. 

The  Prince,  her  father,  did  not  interfere  with  her 
activity ;  he  looked  on  and  marvelled,  pleased  enough 
to  hear  his  daughter  spoken  of  on  every  hand  as  an 
angel  of  God.  He  was  proud  that  she  should  be  so  be- 
loved by  the  people,  to  whom  she  seemed  as  necessary 
as  the  very  sun  itself,  and  allowed  her  to  take  from  the 
granaries  as  much  corn  as  she  required.  He  also  lent 
a  ready  ear  to  her  pleading,  and,  at  her  request,  many 
a  captive  was  set  free. 

Beautiful  in  person  and  lovely  in  mind,  this  daughter 
of  a  rich  and  powerful  prince  had  many  a  princely 
suitor.  But  the  question  of  marriage  was  a  trouble  to 
Predslava.  How  could  she  think  of  building  her  own 
nest  when  so  many  around  her  were  in  want  and 
misery  ?  If  she  married  she  would  have  her  own 
family  and  dependants  to  care  for,  and  what  would 
then  become  of  the  sick  and  miserable  ?  Might  it  not 
mean  that  "  God's  family  "  would  be  neglected  for  the 
sake  of  her  own  ? 

Predslava,  therefore,  postponed  all  idea  of  marriage 
as  long  as  she  could ;  but  at  last  her  father,  without 
consulting  her,  and  in  accordance  with  the  custom  of 
those  days,  betrothed  her  to  a  neighbouring  prince. 
Great  preparations  were  made  for  the  marriage,  and 
the  sound  of  feasting  and  rejoicing  was  heard  in  the 


PREDSLAVA   AND   GRADISLAVA         59 

castle.  But  the  bride-elect,  sad  and  perplexed,  retired 
to  the  solitude  of  her  chamber,  where,  on  the  eve  of 
her  wedding-day,  she  prayed  to  her  Saviour  for  definite 
guidance.  Not  that  she  was  afraid  of  the  marriage, 
for  her  betrothed  was  young,  kind-hearted  and  hand- 
some, but  that  she  dreaded  having  to  surrender 
herself  to  the  cares  of  the  world.  Hour  after  hour 
was  thus  spent  in  prayer,  until  at  last  the  day  began  to 
break,  and  as  her  eyes  beheld  the  first  rays  of  the  sun, 
Predslava  cried  out,  "  O  Lord,  Thou  who  dost  direct 
the  course  of  the  sun,  direct  also  the  steps  of  Thy 
weak  and  helpless  servant.  Show  me  the  path  wherein 
I  can  best  serve  Thee  and  show  forth  Thy  love !  " 

As  if  in  answer  to  her  cry,  the  bell  of  the  neigh- 
bouring convent  rang  out  and  broke  the  stillness  of 
the  morning  air,  and  when  Predslava  heard  the  sweet 
sound  of  this  call  to  prayer,  all  her  doubts  vanished. 
"  The  Lord  is  calling  me  !  "  she  said,  and  rising  from 
her  knees,  she  flung  a  mantle  around  her  and  secretly 
left  the  castle.  Swiftly  covering  the  short  distance 
which  lay  between  it  and  the  nunnery,  she  went 
straight  to  the  Mother  Superior,  who  was  also  her 
aunt,  and,  throwing  herself  at  the  feet  of  the  Abbess, 
Predslava  pleaded  to  be  at  once  admitted  as  a  nun. 

Her  aunt,  however,  alarmed  at  this  unexpected 
request,  exclaimed,  "  What  has  befallen  thee,  my 
child  ?  Happiness,  pleasure  and  riches  are  awaiting 
thee  ;  thy  father  is  preparing  a  feast  for  thee,  and 
thou  askest  for  the  black  veil  !  " 

"  It  is  the  riches  and  glory  which  are  weighing  me 
down,"  whispered  the  maiden  ;  "  for  have  they  not 
been  purchased  at  the  cost  of  blood  ?  Think  of 


60  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

the  times  in  which  we  live  !  How  could  I  be  happy 
with  a  husband  ?  He  would  always  be  making  cam- 
paigns or  raids,  and  I  should  be  in  constant  fear  of 
his  being  wounded  or  killed  ;  and  if  he  returned,  I 
should  dread  lest  he  had  spilt  his  brother's  blood." 

As  she  listened  to  Predslava's  words,  the  burden  of 
her  past  life  and  the  sorrow  of  her  widowhood  rose 
up  before  the  aged  princess,  who  felt  the  truth  of  what 
her  niece  was  saying.  Fearing,  however,  the  anger 
of  the  girl's  father,  she  sent  for  the  Bishop,  who  also 
urged  Predslava  to  reconsider  her  decision.  "  Thou 
art  young  and  fair,  my  daughter,  and  dost  not  realize 
how  heavy  is  the  burden  thou  desirest  to  take  upon 
thy  shoulders.  Thy  parents  will  cast  thee  off,  and 
thou  wilt  be  left  alone  in  the  world." 

Looking  straight  into  the  eyes  of  the  Bishop,  the 
brave  maiden  reproved  him  thus  :  "  Do  not  try  to 
alarm  a  youthful  soul  which  is  bent  on  following 
God.  The  yoke  of  Christ  is  easy  and  his  burden 
is  light,  and  I  shall  never  be  alone,  for  God  will 
be  my  Father,  and  the  unhappy,  the  orphaned,  and 
the  sick  shall  be  my  people  !  " 

No  longer  could  the  Abbess  and  the  Bishop  with- 
stand Predslava's  appeal,  and  the  monastic  rite  was 
performed  ;  she  was  shorn  of  her  beautiful  tresses, 
and  a  new  name,  that  of  Euphrosina,  given  to  her. 

The  sun  had  risen  in  all  its  glory  on  the  wedding 
morning,  but  where  was  the  fair  Princess  Predslava  ? 
Nowhere  could  she  be  found.  The  greatest  excite- 
ment prevailed,  and  the  Prince  sent  his  followers 
out  in  every  direction  to  search  for  her,  while  he 
himself  rode  forth  to  seek  his  child.  In  front  of  the 


PREDSLAVA   AND   GRADISLAVA         61 

convent  gates  he  was  met  by  the  Bishop,  cross  in 
hand.  "Do  not  seek  Predslava,"  he  said  ;  u  she  is  no 
more.  It  is  the  nun  Euphrosina  who  dwells  behind 
these  walls." 

Furious  with  rage,  the  Prince  threatened  to  destroy 
the  nunnery  and  raze  it  to  the  ground,  but  the  Bishop 
warned  him  that  it  was  useless  righting  against  God, 
and  that  he  could  never  get  his  daughter  back  by 
means  of  violence.  "  Thou  hast  sinned  much  and 
often  by  thy  campaigns,  Prince  ;  Euphrosina  will 
intercede  for  thee." 

The  old  warrior  was  moved  to  tears  by  these  words, 
and  turning  his  charger  homewards,  he  rode  to  his 
castle,  where  he  shut  himself  up  in  his  room.  At  first 
he  was  inconsolable,  but  gradually  became  calmer  and 
submitted  to  the  will  of  God. 

The  young  nun  Euphrosina  soon  became  accustomed 
to  her  new  life.  The  convent  was  famous,  and  many 
pilgrims  came  to  visit  it.  All  were  welcome  to  stay 
for  two  or  three  days  as  guests  of  the  nuns,  who 
attended  to  their  needs  and  saw  to  their  comfort. 
The  time  of  the  nuns  was  also  taken  up  in  attending 
the  services,  in  reading,  and  in  doing  needlework. 
But  these  occupations  did  not  satisfy  the  young 
princess,  who  asked  the  Bishop  to  give  her  his 
blessing  and  set  her  apart  for  active  work.  "  Let  me 
follow  the  example  of  the  Holy  Anna  who  served 
in  the  Temple.  Here,  in  the  convent,  there  are 
many  sisters  ;  no  one  will  miss  me  ;  permit  me  to 
serve  in  the  cathedral,  and  let  me  live  in  one  of  the 
cells  in  the  wall  of  that  sacred  building." 

The  Bishop   granted    her    request,  giving    her    his 


62  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

blessing  and  the  required  permission,  and  she  went 
to  serve  in  the  cathedral,  spending  her  leisure  hours 
in  transcribing  the  Gospel  in  clear  and  beautiful  hand- 
writing. Some  of  the  copies  were  sent  away  as  gifts 
to  poor  churches  ;  others  she  sold  to  rich  people,  who 
paid  handsomely  for  them.  All  the  money  thus  earned 
Euphrosina  distributed  amongst  the  poor,  whom  she 
had  come  to  know  well,  for  she  visited  them  in  their 
homes.  She  nursed  the  sick,  fed  the  hungry,  washed 
and  clothed  neglected  children,  and  comforted  the 
sorrow-stricken  by  reading  the  Gospel  to  them.  The 
people  flocked  to  her  cell  ;  mothers  brought  their 
children  to  her  in  order  that  she  might  teach  them, 
the  sick  came  for  medicine,  and  widows  and  orphans 
came  to  hear  her  tender,  loving  words  of  comfort. 

The  Bishop  noted  all  this  with  joy  and  satisfaction  ; 
indeed,  he  so  appreciated  her  wonderful  character  and 
remarkable  powers  of  organization  that  he  offered 
the  young  princess  a  village  which  belonged  to  the 
cathedral,  having  no  doubt  that  under  her  capable 
management  the  tithes  would  surely  be  forthcoming. 
Euphrosina  rejoiced  greatly  over  this  generous  gift, 
and,  gathering  together  her  large  family  of  orphans, 
destitute  souls  and  cripples,  started  off  for  her  new 
abode.  The  whole  town  turned  out  to  speed  her  on 
her  journey,  and  to  watch  the  departure  of  the  file  of 
carts  which  carried  away  her  "family"  of  the  sick, 
the  wretched,  the  needy,  and  the  homeless. 

There  in  her  village  Euphrosina  found  work  for 
everyone.  The  blind  made  nets  and  shoes  of  plaited 
straw,  the  deaf  split  wood,  the  lame  carved  wooden 
vessels,  the  older  men  kept  bees  or  went  fishing  to 


PREDSLAVA   AND   GRADISLAVA         63 

provide  the  large  family  with  food,  and  those  who 
were  stronger  than  the  rest  sawed  wood  and  built 
huts.  Her  fame  spread  far  and  wide,  and  from  all 
parts  the  poor  found  their  way  to  Euphrosina,  as  did 
also  the  rich,  who  brought  with  them  gifts  for  the 
"  Nourisher  of  the  Poor."  Many  wealthy  widows 
and  spinsters  took  up  their  abode  with  her  as 
fellow-workers. 

Thus  an  entirely  new  monastic  establishment  gradu- 
ally developed.  In  this  settlement  there  was  life  and 
activity  ;  .work  and  prayer  went  hand  in  hand,  and  God 
was  praised  both  by  word  and  deed. 

When  the  old  Prince  of  Polotsk  and  his  wife  saw 
how  God  was  blessing  their  daughter's  life  and  labour, 
they  ceased  to  bemoan  her  loss  and  began  to  take  a  real 
pride  in  her  work. 

In  the  meantime,  at  the  castle,  Euphrosina's  little 
sister,  Gradislava,  was  growing  up  and  developing  into  a 
lovely  girl.  Euphrosina,  in  order  to  save  her  sister 
from  the  sights  and  sounds  which  had  grieved  her  so 
much  in  her  own  childhood,  now  suggested  to  her 
parents  that  the  little  maiden  should  be  sent  to  her. 
"  We  will  teach  her  to  read,  to  pray,  and  to  work,  and 
I  promise  you  that  she  will  blossom  like  a  rose  in  these 
healthy,  happy  surroundings."  So  Gradislava  came 
and  was  brought  up  in  the  nunnery,  far  away  from  the 
tales  of  bloody  warfare  and  the  noisy  revels  of  her 
father's  home.  Under  the  tender  care  of  her  elder 
sister,  the  maiden  grew  in  sweetness  and  purity,  hearing 
all  that  was  good  and  holy  and  witnessing  works  of 
love  and  mercy. 

After  a  while  the    time  came  for  Gradislava  to  be 


64  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

betrothed,  but  instead  of  joyfully  responding  to  her 
parents'  call  to  the  wedding  feast  and  marriage  bells, 
she  pleaded  to  be  left  where  she  was.  Bitterly,  in  his 
grief  and  disappointment,  did  the  old  Prince  reproach 
his  elder  daughter  for  bereaving  him  of  his  second 
child  :  "  Thou  didst  offer  merely  to  educate  thy  sister, 
not  to  withold  her  from  us." 

Distressed  by  the  sorrow  of  her  parents,  Euphrosina 
sent  them  a  loving  message  inviting  them  to  come  and 
judge  for  themselves  as  to  whether  Gradislava  was  likely 
to  be  happier  and  of  greater  use  in  the  castle  or  in  the 
settlement.  The  old  Prince  and  his  wife  decided  to 
accept  the  invitation  to  visit  their  daughters,  sure  in 
their  own  minds  that  they  would  easily  convince  the 
younger  one  of  the  pleasures  which  awaited  her  in  the 
home  of  a  husband. 

On  the  day  of  their  arrival — a  saint's  day- 
multitudes  of  people  were  thronging  the  square  in  front 
of  the  church.  Suddenly  there  was  a  stir  and  move- 
ment amongst  them  as  of  anticipation,  and  joyful 
exclamations  burst  from  many  lips.  In  response  to 
his  enquiry  as  to  whether  a  procession  was  expected) 
the  Prince  was  told  that  it  was  the  Princess  Gradislava 
who  was  coming  to  distribute  gifts  to  the  poor.  And, 
sure  enough,  there,  at  the  other  end  of  the  square,  lay 
heaped  up  bags  of  corn,  vegetables  and  bales  of  linen  ; 
there  stood  horses,  cows  and  sheep,  as  well  as  carts 
and  agricultural  implements. 

The  crowd  made  way  for  the  fair  Gradislava  and  her 
attendants,  who  walked  behind  her  carrying  medicines 
and  ointments  for  the  sick.  On  reaching  the  place 
where  all  the  gifts  were  deposited,  she  began  to 


PREDSLAVA  AND   GRADISLAVA        65 

distribute  them  according  to  each  one's  need.  There 
were  many  to  attend  to,  as  there  was  much  distress  in 
the  land,  which  had  just  passed  through  an  evil  year  ; 
but  Gradislava  listened  to  all  the  pleading,  carefully 
dealing  with  each  case,  considering  it,  discussing  it 
and  then  acting  accordingly.  Thus  she  gave  to  one 
seed-corn,  to  another  a  horse,  to  a  third  a  cart- 
to  each  what  he  required  ;  to  some  she  gave  more 
than  they  asked,  while  others  had  to  go  away  empty- 
handed. 

The  old  Prince  and  his  wife  grew  tired  of  waiting, 
for  Gradislava  was  occupied  with  the  people  until  late 
in  the  afternoon,  and  made  their  way  to  their  night's 
resting-place,  intending  to  take  their  child  away  with 
them  on  the  morrow.  But  again  they  were  dis- 
appointed, for  they  found  next  morning  that  their 
daughter  had  set  off,  at  break  of  day,  on  her  daily 
round  of  visits  to  the  sick.  As  soon  as  her  parents 
heard  of  this,  they  started  to  follow  her,  but  at  the 
first  hut  they  entered  there  was  no  Gradislava,  for  she 
had  already  been  and  gone.  "  She  flies  in  at  sunrise 
like  a  bird,"  they  were  told,  "and  if  she  did  not  start 
early  she  would  never  go  the  round  ;  with  her  own 
hands  she  washes  her  patients,  combs  out  their  hair,  and 
administers  their  medicine.  She  is  a  comfort,  a  cheer 
and  a  blessing  to  all,"  said  the  people.  <c  She  is  the  joy 
of  our  lives  ;  no  mere  girl  is  she,  but  an  angel  sent 
from  God.'1 

And  thus  it  was  everywhere.  Wherever  the  parents 
went  they  heard  the  same  tale  :  "  Our  joy  is  Gradi- 
slava ;  to  us  she  is  like  a  sunbeam.  She  is  our 
guardian  angel." 


66  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

At  last  her  parents  found  her  kneeling  on  the  floor 
of  a  hut  by  the  side  of  an  old  man.  His  eyes  were 
closed,  and  with  every  breath  he  drew  there  was  a 
rattling  sound  in  his  throat.  As  he  clung  with  his 
cold,  withered  fingers  to  the  soft,  warm  hand  of  the 
maiden,  he  slowly  and  painfully  gasped  out,  "  Art 
thou  there,  Princess  ?  Do  not  leave  me  ...  I  am 
afraid  ...  I  am  so  great  a  sinner  ...  I  have  slain 
.  .  .  blood,  blood,  I  see  blood  everywhere  .  .  .  pray 
for  me  .  .  .  God  will  hear  thy  prayers  .  .  .  thou  hast 
a  pure  and  holy  soul.  ..." 

Tenderly  Gradislava  bent  over  him  and  told  him 
the  story  of  the  Prodigal  Son,  of  the  woman  who  was 
a  sinner,  of  Zaccheus,  and  of  the  penitent  thief  on  the 
Cross.  And  as  the  dying  man  listened  to  these  sweet 
words  of  comfort,  his  breathing  grew  easier  ;  but  when 
Gradislava  started  to  raise  herself  up  from  the  ground, 
he  implored  her  not  to  leave  him.  <c  Pray  for  me,  thy 
prayer  will  save  me,"  he  whispered  ;  "  bless  me,  ere  I 
breathe  my  last." 

It  was  then  that  Gradislava  for  the  first  time 
addressed  her  parents,  who  had  witnessed  the  scene 
with  wonder  and  awe  :  a  Father  and  mother  dear,  do 
not  ask  me  to  go  home  with  you  to-day.  I  cannot 
leave  this  man.  Wait  until  to-morrow,  for  he  surely 
cannot  last  until  dawn.  Let  me  but  close  his  eyes  ; 
his  life  has  been  hard  and  weary,  let  him  now  die  in 
peace." 

Softly  the  princely  pair  withdrew,  for  how  could 
they  resist  such  an  appeal  ?  But  when  next  morning 
they  looked  for  Gradislava  in  her  cell  they  did  not 
find  her  there,  but  discovered  her  later  surrounded  by 


PREDSLAVA  AND   GRADISLAVA        67 

a  number  of  girls,  to  whom  she  was  dictating  the 
Gospel.  Slowly  and  distinctly  she  read  it  out  word  by 
word,  while  twenty  hands  transcribed  the  holy  words. 
Her  parents  stood  still  in  amazement,  listening  to  the 
clear,  sweet  tones  of  their  daughter's  voice  as  she 
dictated  :  "  They  brought  children  unto  Him,  that  He 
should  bless  them.  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come 
unto  Me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven.  .  .  ." 

Suddenly  the  old  Prince  turned  to  his  wife  and  said, 
"  Didst  thou  hear  what  the  Saviour  said  ?  c  Let  the 
children  come  unto  me  and  hinder  them  not/  Perhaps 
we,  too,  ought  not  to  hinder  our  child — perhaps,  after 
all,  we  ought  to  leave  her  here.  There  is  so  much 
sorrow  in  the  world,  and  Gradislava  seems  to  know 
how  to  help  to  lessen  it.  Although  we  shall  miss  her 
sorely,  we  must  not  take  her  with  us  ;  for  if  we  did, 
hundreds  would  feel  lonely  and  orphaned  instead  of 
just  us  two."  So  they  left  her,  and  Gradislava 
remained  at  the  settlement  as  her  sister's  helper. 

Many  thousands  she  fed  and  rescued  from  want  and 
sorrow  ;  many  crippled  and  aged  she  provided  with 
shelter,  and  hundreds  of  orphans  were  brought  up 
under  her  hand.  Better  than  all  her  good  deeds,  how- 
ever, was  the  influence  of  her  daily  life,  for  it  infused 
light,  warmth  and  love  into  the  lives  of  all  around 
her. 

Against  the  dark  background  of  bloodshed  and 
rapine  of  that  period,  these  two  sisters  stood  out  in  all 
the  radiance  of  their  personality  as  witnesses  of  the  fact 
that  there  was  another  and  a  better  life  to  be  lived — a 
life  of  brotherly  love.  The  example  they  set  was  an 


68 


SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 


inspiration,  not  only  to  their  own  generation,  but  to 
those  that  followed  after.  Like  two  lilies,  pure  and 
white,  and  exhaling  the  sweetest  perfume,  were  Pred- 
slava  and  Gradislava,  daughters  of  the  fierce  warrior- 
Prince  of  Polotsk. 


ILLUMINATION   FROM  A  MS.   GOSPEL  OF    1164. 
In  the  Roumyanzev  Museum,  Moscow. 


CHAPTER   VI 


THE    MONGOL    INVASION    AND    ALEXANDER    NEVSKI 

HE  Crusades,  which  had 
united  Christian  kings 
and  knights,  had  all 
but  come  to  an  end, 
and  much  Christian 
blood  had  been  shed 
on  holy  soil.  In  Eng- 
land, Henry  III  was 
on  the  throne,  and  the 
first  Parliament  had 
met.  Russian  princes 
had  not  taken  part  in 
the  Crusades,  for, 
during  the  two  centuries  which  had  passed  since 
Vladimir  had  consolidated  his  empire,  there  had  been 
a  time  of  internecine  warfare,  and  after  the  court  of 
Kiev  had  ceased  to  attract  foreigners,  Russia  lost 
touch  with  Western  Europe.  Thus  it  came  about 
that  when,  in  the  early  years  of  the  thirteenth  century, 
news  reached  the  Russian  princes  that  a  terrible  enemy 
was  approaching  from  the  east,  they  never  thought  of 
calling  upon  the  Knights  of  Western  Europe  to  join 
them  in  resisting  the  pagan  foe. 

Two  of  the  Khans  of  the  Polovtsi,  whose  territory 

69 


CASTLE  OF  NOVGOROD:  "  WELIKI- 

NOVGOEOD." 
From  a  seventeenth  century  engraving. 


70  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

had  already  been  conquered  by  the  invaders,  fled  into 
Russia  and  brought  the  bad  news  to  Galish,  with  whose 
ruler  one  of  them  was  connected  by  marriage.  There- 
upon, Prince  Mstislav  of  Galish  invited  the  other 
Russian  princes,  his  near  relatives,  to  a  conference  in 
Kiev,  where  the  leading  princes — those  of  Kiev, 
Smolensk,  Volhynia  and  Galicia — met  to  discuss  the 
situation.  The  fugitive  Khan  Khotyan  told  them  of 
the  advancing  hordes,  who,  on  being  refused  a  free 
passage  through  his  country,  had  invaded  and 
devastated  it.  In  order  to  gain  from  the  Russian 
princes  a  promise  of  help,  he  presented  them  with 
horses,  camels  and  female  slaves,  while  the  other  Khan, 
Bastyi,  asked  to  be  baptised  into  the  Christian  faith. 
After  long  deliberation,  the  Russian  princes  decided 
that  when  spring  came  they  would  go  out  and  meet 
the  enemy,  hoping  thereby  to  prevent  an  invasion  of 
their  territory.  At  the  time  appointed  they  set  off  for 
the  place  where  they  had  arranged  to  meet,  and  were 
there  joined  by  other  princes  and  their  followers. 
Envoys  from  the  Mongol  leader  also  made  their 
appearance  there  in  order  to  offer  terms  of  peace, 
assuring  the  Russian  princes  that,  although  they  had 
fallen  upon  the  Polovtsi — their  a  slaves  and  grooms  " 
—they  had  no  designs  on  Russia  herself,  nor  had 
they  so  much  as  touched  any  Russian  towns  or 
villages. 

The  princes,  however,  took  warning  from  the 
experience  of  the  Polovtsi,  who  had  been  so  cruelly 
deceived  by  the  Tatars,  and  not  only  refused  to  listen 
to  the  envoys,  but  had  them  put  to  death.  After  this 
the  princes  moved  down  the  Dnieper,  where  they  were 


THE   MONGOL    INVASION  71 

met  by  new  envoys,  who  informed  them  that  they 
had  brought  war  upon  themselves  by  their  refusal  to 
believe  in  Tatar  promises. 

After  a  few  successful  skirmishes  on  the  part  of  the 
Russians,  the  Tatars  withdrew  eastward,  luring  them 
further  and  further  into  the  Steppes,  until  they  reached 
the  River  Kalka,  near  Lake  Azov,  where  they  were 
unexpectedly  attacked  by  vast  hordes  of  Mongols. 
Although  the  Russians  made  a  brave  stand,  a  horrible 
massacre  ensued,  in  which  ten  thousand  men  from 
Kiev  alone  were  slain,  besides  six  princes  and  seventy 
knights.  In  spite  of  their  valour,  the  surviving  princes 
had  no  choice  but  to  flee  before  the  overwhelming 
forces  of  the  enemy,  especially  as  they  were  utterly 
unprepared  for  such  an  onslaught.  Three  of  the 
princes  who  had  been  taken  alive  were  put  under 
boards,  upon  which  the  Tatars  sat  and  ate  their  dinner, 
while  the  unfortunate  victims  were  slowly  squeezed  to 
death.  This  act  was  symbolic  of  the  fate  which  awaited 
the  country. 

The  Tatars  did  not  penetrate  further  into  Russia, 
but,  crossing  the  Steppes  in  a  north-easterly  direction, 
conquered  the  Bulgars  on  the  Kama,  and  then  returned 
through  the  Steppes  of  the  Ural  and  along  the  shores 
of  the  Caspian  into  Asia,  well  satisfied  with  their 
achievement  in  having  discovered  an  open  road  to 
Europe. 

The  sudden  appearance  of  these  Asiatic  hordes  and 
the  defeat  of  the  princes  had  aroused  feelings  of 
terror  and  consternation  in  Russia.  A  contemporary 
chronicler  thus  voices  the  popular  mind  :  "  There 
appeared  amongst  us  an  unknown  people  ;  no  one 


72  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

seemed  to  know  anything  about  them,  their  language, 
or  their  faith,  who  they  were  or  whence  they  came,  nor 
to  what  tribe  they  belonged.  Some  say  they  are 
Tatars,  some  Taurmens,  while  others  take  them  for 
Petchenegs." 

The  answer  to  these  questions  came  fifteen  years 
later  at  the  cost  of  bitter  experience,  and  the  Russians 
found  them  what  the  conquered  people  of  Asia  had 
found  the  hordes  of  Ghengis  Khan  to  be — arrogant, 
cruel,  treacherous  and  bloodthirsty,  lacking  in  gratitude 
and  generosity,  caring  for  nothing  but  robbery  and  loot. 
No  wonder  if  they  were  consumed  with  pride,  for  had 
not  this  small  Tatar  tribe,  a  mere  vassal  of  China, 
become  a  conquering  race  ?  Ghengis  Khan,  with  his 
horsemen,  had  made  himself  the  terror  of  Asia,  and  all 
those  whom  he  allowed  to  live  bowed  before  him. 

These  shepherd  warriors  who  had  come  from  the 
northern  slopes  of  the  Altai,  or  u  Golden  Mountains," 
were  ungainly  in  appearance,  with  long  bodies  and 
short  legs,  their  wide-set  eyes  seemed  to  bulge  out  from 
horizontal  slits  in  their  faces  ;  the  nose  was  wide  and 
flat,  and  on  the  upper  lip  sprouted  a  few  straggling 
hairs  ;  the  front  of  the  head  was  shaven  in  the  form  of 
a  horse-shoe,  as  a  symbol  of  their  centaur  power,  and 
on  either  side  were  patches  of  long  hair  which  hung  in 
plaits  over  the  ears.  They  were  uncouth  in  manner, 
filthy  in  their  habits,  and  their  diet  was  disgusting  : 
they  ate  all  manner  of  vermin,  they  specially  enjoyed  the 
warm  blood  of  horses,  while  their  favourite  drink  was 
that  most  intoxicating  beverage,  fermented  mare's 
milk — koumiss. 

The  first  expedition  into  Russia  had  merely  whetted 


THE   MONGOL   INVASION  73 

the  appetite  of  the  Tatars,  and  in  1236  Batu  Khan,  to 
whom  Ghengis  Khan  had  apportioned  the  western  part 
of  his  Empire,  invaded  Russia  with  300,000  men. 
This  grandson  of  the  great  Mongol  leader  sent  envoys 
to  the  Prince  of  Ryazan  to  demand  in  tribute  one 
tenth  of  everything  he  possessed,  men  and  horses 
included,  but  the  answer  he  received  was  that  all  the 
Russian  lands  would  be  his  when  there  was  no  longer 
a  Russian  prince  left  alive. 

Like  a  prairie  fire  the  Tatars  spread  across  Russia  in 
different  directions,  and  within  thirty  days  fourteen 
towns  fell  into  their  hands — Ryazan,  Suzdal,  Vladimir, 
Moscow,  Rostov,  Yaroslav,  Gorodetz,  Galitch,  Tver 
and  others,  the  inhabitants  of  which  were  all  massacred. 
These  ruthless  conquerors  were  adepts  in  the  art  of 
besieging  towns  :  they  cut  off  the  water  supply,  threw 
up  earthworks,  used  battering-rams,  cast  burning  balls 
of  naphtha,  mixed  with  human  fat,  into  the  cities,  and 
although  they  usually  promised  the  besieged  citizens 
life  and  property  on  condition  of  voluntary  surrender, 
they  rarely,  if  ever,  kept  their  word.  Even  if  they  did 
not  kill  every  inhabitant,  as  was  frequently  the  case,  all 
the  wealthy  people  were  sure  to  be  put  to  death.  When 
the  premier  prince  of  Russia,  the  Grand  Duke  Yuri  of 
Vladimir,  who  had  been  assured  that  if  he  remained 
neutral  his  country  would  be  unmolested,  heard  of  the 
destruction  of  his  capital  and  the  murder  of  his  family, 
whom  the  Tatars  had  burnt  alive  in  a  church,  he  went 
out  to  meet  the  cruel  foe,  intending  to  give  battle  ;  but 
the  horror  of  the  Tatars  fell  upon  his  men,  who  became 
utterly  demoralized  and  fled  in  confusion,  while  all 
those  who  stood  by  him  were  killed. 


74  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

The  victorious  Khan  next  captured  the  town  of 
Torja  in  the  face  of  strenuous  resistance,  and,  having 
slaughtered  all  the  inhabitants,  he  passed  on,  mowing 
down  like  grass  the  people  who  came  in  his  way.  All 
prisoners  of  war  were  killed,  with  the  exception  of 
artisans,  who  were  taken  away  as  slaves  ;  indeed,  there 
was  a  regular  system  for  the  killing  of  prisoners,  so 
many  Mongols  having  so  many  prisoners  handed  over 
to  them  for  slaughter. 

Terror  had  taken  hold  of  the  citizens  of  Novgorod, 
the  rich  and  important  trading  centre  of  Russia,  for 
they  realized  that  their  turn  would  come  next  ;  there- 
fore, much  prayer  and  supplication  was  offered  up  by 
the  devout-minded  people.  To  their  intense  relief, 
the  city  escaped  the  terrible  fate  which  had  been  meted 
out  to  the  others,  for  with  the  approach  of  spring  the 
Khan,  fearing  lest  he  should  be  caught  in  the  swamps 
surrounding  Novgorod,  turned  away  to  the  south-west 
and  attacked  and  besieged  Koselsk,  where  he  met  with 
a  stubborn  resistance.  It  was  the  only  town  which 
did  not  fall  into  his  hands  after  a  few  days'  siege,  but 
held  out  for  two  months.  The  citizens  had  decided  to 
withstand  him  to  the  uttermost,  for  <c  although  our 
Prince  is  but  a  boy,"  they  said,  u  we  willingly  lay  down 
our  lives  for  him  and  thus  win  glory  in  this  world  and 
heavenly  crowns  in  the  world  to  come."  As  elsewhere, 
however,  so  also  here  the  walls  finally  fell  before  the 
battering-rams  of  the  Tatars  ;  yet  the  resistance  only 
came  to  an  end  when  the  last  man  was  killed.  No  one 
knows  what  happened  to  the  young  Prince,  but  he  was 
believed  to  have  been  drowned  in  the  sea  of  blood 
which  flowed  down  the  streets  of  his  city.  Satisfied 


THE    MONGOL   INVASION  75 

with  the  havoc  wrought  and  with  the  booty  taken,  the 
Khan  now  returned  to  Asia,  but  two  years  later  he 
swooped  down  again  upon  Russia.  This  time,  however, 
it  was  the  southern  part  which  he  and  his  hordes  over- 
ran. It  seemed  as  though  nothing  could  arrest  their 
progress,  and  at  last  they  came  to  the  banks  of  the 
Dnieper  and  stood  facing  Kiev,  the  fame  of  which  had 
reached  the  ears  of  Batu.  Struck  by  the  beauty  of 
the  city,  his  nephew,  who  had  been  sent  in  advance, 
offered  to  spare  it  on  condition  of  surrender,  but 
his  proposals  were  proudly  rejected  and  his  envoys 
killed. 

In  the  winter  of  1240,  Batu  Khan  began  the  siege 
of  Kiev,  and,  to  quote  the  words  of  the  chronicler, 
"  Men  could  not  hear  themselves  speak  for  the  screech- 
ing of  cart-wheels,  the  grunting  of  innumerable  camels, 
the  neighing  of  horses,  and  the  roar  of  voices  from  the 
great  multitude  of  men."  After  an  heroic  resistance, 
the  premier  town  of  Russia  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
ruthless  foe,  of  whom  an  English  contemporary  relates 
that  "  they  are  above  all  men  covetous,  nasty,  deceitful 
and  merciless,"  and  that  "  they  think  all  things  are 
created  for  their  benefit." 

With  fire  and  sword  everything  was  destroyed. 
The  beautiful  ancient  capital  of  Russia  was  turned  into 
a  heap  of  ashes,  and  the  surrounding  country  devas- 
tated. So  awful,  indeed,  was  the  state  of  Russia  that 
a  celebrated  preacher  of  this  period  describes  his 
unhappy  fatherland  thus  :  "  Our  churches  are  demo- 
lished, our  sanctuaries  desecrated,  and  the  sacred  vessels 
defiled;  the  bodies  of  monks  have  been  cast  out  as 
carrion,  and  the  land  has  been  saturated  with  the  blood 


76  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

of  our  fathers  and  brothers  as  with  water.  Vanished 
are  the  strongholds  of  our  princes  and  rulers,  even  the 
brave  have  fled  in  terror  ;  the  majority  of  our  brothers 
and  of  our  children  have  been  taken  into  captivity  ; 
over  our  village  streets  the  grass  is  growing,  our  land 
has  become  the  prey  of  the  alien,  and  the  fruit  of 
our  labour  is  enjoyed  by  the  infidel." 

After  the  sack  of  Kiev  the  victorious  Mongol 
hordes  passed  on  into  Volhynia  and  Galicia,  then 
crossed  the  Carpathians  into  Hungary,  and,  having 
devastated  that  country,  turned  northward  into  Silesia 
and  Moravia.  It  was  their  custom  to  send  some 
5000  riders  in  advance,  who,  mounted  on  specially 
fleet  horses,  would  often  accomplish  a  three  days' 
journey  in  a  single  night.  This  advance  guard  did 
not  burn  or  plunder,  but  merely  wounded  or  mutilated 
the  peaceful  inhabitants  in  order  to  strike  terror  into 
the  hearts  of  the  people,  so  that  their  rulers  would  be 
unable  to  offer  organized  resistance — a  thing  they 
always  tried  to  prevent.  They  did  not  like  to  be  met 
man  to  man,  but  revelled  in  hacking  their  way  through 
the  people  as  they  flew  by  them  on  horseback.  An 
Englishman  who  had  drifted  into  Tatary,  and  whom 
Batu  Khan  attached  to  his  person  as  interpreter,  thus 
describes  the  methods  employed  by  the  Mongols  : 
"  They  delude  all  people  in  times  of  peace,  pretending 
to  the  princes  of  regions  that  for  a  cause — which, 
indeed,  is  no  cause — they  desire  to  pass  through  their 
land.  In  regard  to  which  sleights  and  collusions  certain 
indiscreet  governors,  concluding  a  league  with  them, 
have  granted  them  free  passage  through  their  terri- 
tories ;  which  leagues,  notwithstanding,  being  violated, 


THE   MONGOL   INVASION  77 

were  an  occasion  of  ruin  and  destruction  unto  the 
aforesaid  governors.  ..." 

Leaving  Moravia,  Batu  now  returned  to  Hungary, 
intending  to  invade  Austria,  but  on  the  borders  of  this 
country  the  Tatars  received  their  first  check.  A  great 
army  under  the  leadership  of  the  King  of  Moravia,  the 
Duke  of  Austria  and  other  famous  warrior  princes, 
"  with  mighty  power  and  in  battle  array,"  advanced  to 
meet  them.  Whereupon  "  that  accursed  crew  imme- 
diately vanished,  and  all  those  Tatarian  vagabonds 
retired  themselves  into  the  distressed  and  vanquished 
land  of  Hungaria,  who,  as  they  came  suddenly,  so 
departed  also  on  the  sudden,  while  their  celerity  caused 
all  men  to  stand  in  horror  and  astonishment  of  them." 

Thus  did  Batu  Khan  turn  tail  before  organized 
resistance.  He  and  his  hordes  retraced  their  steps 
through  southern  Russia,  along  a  path  strewn  with 
the  bleaching  bones  of  the  victims  of  their  former 
raid,  until  they  reached  the  eastern  banks  of  the  Volga, 
where  they  settled  down  permanently. 

Here  Batu  founded  Sarai,  which  became  the  capital 
of  the  Golden  Horde  (or  Golden  Camp),  whence  he 
held  sway  over  Russia,  whose  princes  had  to  travel 
from  all  parts  of  the  country  to  pay  him  homage. 
Russia  thus  sank  to  the  level  of  a  mere  province  of  the 
vast  Mongol  Empire,  and  not  infrequently  Batu  would 
send  Russian  princes  right  into  Central  Asia  to  the 
Great  Khan,  whose  representative  he  was  in  Europe. 

Western  Europe  was  spared  the  horrors  of  a  Tatar 
invasion  ;  but  Russia,  having  succumbed,  found  out  by 
bitter  experience  who  were  these  ruthless,  merciless 
hordes  which,  only  a  few  years  previously,  had  fallen 


78  ,  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

upon  them  suddenly  like  a  plague  of  locusts.  "  They 
are  called  Tatars/'  writes  the  painfully-enlightened 
chronicler,  aand  for  our  sins  these  pagans  have  come 
upon  us." 

Indeed,  the  Mongol  invasion  was  looked  upon  as 
a  punishment  to  the  nation  for  their  Cc  unchristian 
morals,"  and  as  the  consciousness  of  this  grew  upon 
the  people  they  gradually  <c  became  established  in  the 
faith  and  more  moral  in  conduct." 

The  Mongols,  however,  were  not  the  only  foes  with 
which  the  Russians  had  to  contend,  for  Lithuanians, 
Germans  and  Swedes  were  also  a  constant  menace.  Of 
all  the  cities  of  northern  Russia,  Novgorod  alone  had 
escaped  destruction  at  the  hands  of  the  Tatars  ;  but 
while  Batu  Khan  was  sacking  Kiev,  the  Republics  of 
Novgorod  and  Pskov  were  being  invaded  by  Swedes 
and  Germans. 

Prince  Alexander  Yaroslavovitch  was  at  this  time 
the  military  chief  of  Novgorod,  where  he  had  been 
known  from  childhood,  for  his  father,  Yaroslav,  Grand 
Duke  of  Suzdal,  had  also  ruled  Novgorod  in  his  day. 
In  1236,  his  eldest  son,  Alexander,  was  made  Prince  of 
Novgorod,  and  the  memory  of  this  noble  character  still 
lives  in  the  hearts  of  the  people.  History  and  litera- 
ture, sacred  and  profane,  speak  of  him  as  a  great  hero. 
Every  inch  a  prince,  his  strength  has  been  compared 
by  the  chronicler  with  that  of  Samson,  and  his  beauty 
with  that  of  Joseph.  We  read  that  "  his  eye  was  clear 
and  penetrating,  and  his  voice  like  a  silver  trumpet." 
The  fame  of  his  wisdom  and  statesmanship  spread  far 
and  wide,  and  attracted  to  his  side  knights  from  distant 
lands,  who  remained  to  swell  the  number  of  his  Boyars. 


THE   MONGOL   INVASION  79 

One  of  the  Teutonic  knights  who  had  visited  the 
youthful  prince  in  the  hope  of  settling  peacably  the 
perpetual  feuds  between  his  order  and  Novgorod, 
writes  of  Alexander  Yaroslavovitch  :  "I  have  traversed 
many  lands,  and  I  know  much  of  the  world  and  its 
people  and  rulers,  but  never  have  I  looked  upon  or 
listened  to  any  one  who  has  filled  me  with  greater 
wonder  than  Alexander  of  Novgorod.'' 

The  first  to  realize  the  correctness  of  the  reports 
about  Alexander  were  the  Swedes,  whose  territories 
adjoined  those  of  Novgorod  at  a  point  not  far  from 
the  Neva,  where  the  Swedes  had  built  a  fortress.  The 
Pope  himself  had  sent  priests,  skilled  in  building  as 
well  as  in  warfare,  to  erect  this  outpost  against  the 
schismatic  Russians,  whom  he  stigmatized  as  rebels 
because  of  their  refusal  to  acknowledge  his  supremacy. 
In  the  year  1240  the  Swedes,  at  his  instigation,  started 
a  crusade  against  the  Russians,  and  a  large  expedition, 
led  by  the  Regent  of  Sweden,  Birger  Yarl,  sailed  down 
through  the  Gulf  of  Finland  into  the  Neva  ;  the  plan 
being  to  enter  Lake  Ladoga,  and  to  proceed  along  the 
river  Volkhof  until  Novgorod  was  reached,  and  then 
to  attack  and  humble  that  proud  city.  The  Swedish 
general  was  so  sure  of  victory  that  when  the  ships  had 
sailed  only  a  little  way  up  the  Neva  he  sent  the 
following  message  to  Alexander  :  "  If  thou  canst 
resist  me,  do  so  ;  but  I  am  close  upon  thee,  and  am 
already  occupying  thy  lands." 

If  this  expedition  was  a  crusade  to  the  Swedes,  it  was 
no  less  a  holy  war  to  the  Russians,  and  Alexander 
decided  to  go  out  in  person  to  meet  the  foe.  Before 
starting  on  his  campaign  he  went  to  the  cathedral, 


8o  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

where,  in  earnest  supplication,  he  prayed  for  success  ; 
and  having  received  the  Archbishop's  blessing,  the 
gallant  Prince  turned  to  his  followers  and  encouraged 
them  with  these  words  :  "  God  is  not  with  Might  but 
with  Right.  Some  trust  in  weapons,  some  in  horses  ; 
but  we  will  call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord." 

On  Sunday,  July  I5th,  1240,  he  suddenly  attacked 
the  encamped  Swedes,  who,  taken  unawares,  were  flung 
into  confusion.  They  had  little  chance  of  making  a 
successful  stand  against  the  vigorous  onslaught  of  the 
Russians,  who  fell  upon  them  furiously  with  sword 
and  battle-axe.  One  daring  citizen  of  Novgorod 
succeeded  in  sinking  three  Swedish  ships  ;  others  with 
their  swords  slashed  open  the  gorgeous  tent  of  the 
Swedish  general,  and  were  mightily  pleased  to  find  it 
full  of  treasure.  Birger  Yarl  himself  escaped,  but  not 
before  Alexander  had  thrust  a  lance  into  his  face, 
thereby  "putting  his  seal  upon  the  foe/'  The  battle 
raged  the  whole  day,  and  only  under  cover  of  the  night 
could  the  Swedes  take  to  their  ships  and  sail  away. 
The  Russians  firmly  believe  that  the  victory  was  due 
to  the  assistance  of  two  saints — Boris  and  Gleb,  sons 
of  St.  Vladimir ;  for,  as  Alexander  was  nearing  the 
border  of  Novgorod  territories,  he  was  met  by  a 
watchman  from  an  outpost,  who  had  come  to  report  a 
wonderful  vision  which  had  appeared  to  him  on  the 
previous  night.  He  had  seen  a  rowing  boat,  in  the 
middle  of  which  stood  two  saints  in  shining  garments, 
with  glistening  crowns  on  their  heads.  The  lonely 
watcher  heard  St.  Boris  say  to  St.  Gleb,  "Brother 
Gleb,  give  orders  to  the  rowers,  for  we  must  go  to  the 
assistance  of  our  kinsman  Alexander." 


ALEXANDER  NEVSKI  BEFORE  GOING  INTO  BATTLE. 

From  the  painting  by  Kramskoi. 


THE   MONGOL   INVASION  81 

In  honour  of  this  wonderful  victory  on  the  Neva, 
the  people  of  Novgorod  bestowed  upon  Alexander  the 
title  of  <e  Nevski,"  or  "  Of  the  Neva."  Yet,  in  spite  of 
his  having  delivered  their  Republic,  quarrels  soon 
arose  between  the  Vetche,  or  Council,  and  Alexander, 
who,  disgusted  with  the  ingratitude  shown  to  him, 
shook  the  dust  of  Novgorod  from  off  his  feet  and 
rejoined  his  father.  Before  long,  however,  the  citizens 
regretted  their  quarrel,  for  although  they  were  now 
safe  from  the  Swedes,  their  other  enemy,  the  German 
Knights  of  Livonia,  were  threatening  them.  This 
decided  the  Council  of  Novgorod  to  send  messengers 
to  the  Grand  Duke  of  Suzdal,  imploring  him  to 
send  his  son  Alexander  to  their  rescue  ;  but  it  was 
another  son,  Andrew,  who  was  sent  in  his  stead.  By 
no  means  satisfied,  the  Novgorodians  despatched  new 
envoys  to  plead  for  the  return  of  the  only  man  in 
whom  they  could  place  complete  confidence.  Attended 
by  many  nobles,  the  Archbishop  appealed  in  person  to 
Alexander,  who  yielded  at  last,  promising  to  forgive 
and  forget.  He  returned  with  the  envoys  to  Novgorod, 
where  his  longed-for  arrival  was  greeted  with  much 
rejoicing.  Having  quickly  collected  a  large  force,  he 
defeated  the  German  Knights,  between  whom  and  the 
Russians  there  had  long  been  a  growing  animosity. 
These  Knights  had  conquered  Livonia,  and  christianized 
her  heathen  people  by  means  of  fire  and  sword,  but, 
not  content  with  converting  pagans,  they  had  also  tried 
their  hand  on  those  Russians  who,  in  the  days  of 
Yaroslav  (1015—1054)  had  settled  in  Livonia.  This  led 
to  perpetual  friction,  for  the  intolerance  of  the  Knights 
infuriated  the  people  of  Novgorod,  who,  in  their  turn, 


82  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

were  accused  by  Knights  and  Swedes  of  supporting  the 
heathen  in  their  opposition  to  Christianity.  Quite 
recently  the  Knights  had  conquered  Pskov,  which  was 
now  ruled  by  a  German  Stadthalter,  who  was  supported 
by  several  of  the  leading  citizens,  traitors  to  their 
country.  The  whole  countryside  was  being  kept  in 
such  a  state  of  terror  that  all  work  in  the  fields  had 
ceased.  Even  merchants  travelling  to  Novgorod  were 
taken  captive  and  robbed  of  all  their  merchandise. 
Indeed  Alexander  realized  that  not  only  Novgorod 
but  all  Russia  was  endangered  by  these  Teutonic 
raiders. 

After  capturing  the  fort  of  Koporye,  Alexander 
advanced  upon  Pskov,  which  he  speedily  wrested  from 
the  Germans,  many  of  whom  he  sent  in  chains  to 
Novgorod,  where  seventy  of  the  Knights  were  beheaded 
as  an  example  to  the  rest.  The  far-sighted  Russian 
leader  rightly  assumed  that  the  powerful  German 
Order  would  make  an  endeavour  to  avenge  this 
defeat,  and  early  in  1242  the  opposing  forces  met 
near  Lake  Tchoudovo  which  was  still  covered  with  ice, 
though  spring  was  fast  approaching. 

Before  entering  on  this  bloody  contest,  Alexander 
Nevski  lifted  up  his  hands  and  prayed  aloud :  u  Judge, 
O  Lord,  and  settle  the  dispute  between  us  and  this 
overbearing  people,  and  not  unto  us  but  to  Thy  Name 
be  glory.'*  The  Germans  attacked  with  fury,  driving 
a  wedge  into  the  Russian  ranks,  with  the  intention  of 
separating  their  enemy  into  two  parts.  For  the  moment 
it  seemed  as  if  they  would  be  successful,  but  the  valiant 
Russians  held  their  ground  ;  and  Alexander,  making  a 
flank  counter-attack,  routed  the  Germans,  who  fled, 


THE   MONGOL   INVASION  83 

pursued  by  the  victorious  Novgorodians.  Five  hun- 
dred of  the  German  Knights,  besides  innumerable 
Livonians  and  Finns,  were  slain,  and  for  a  stretch  of 
seven  miles  the  ice  was  strewn  with  corpses.  There- 
fore this  combat  has  ever  since  been  known  as  "  The 
Battle  of  the  Ice,"  although  some  chroniclers  speak  of 
it  as  "  The  Blood  Bath  on  the  Ice  "  —for  the  surface 
was  flooded  with  the  blood  of  the  defeated  foe. 

Terror-stricken,  and  in  momentary  expectation  of 
an  invasion  of  Livonia  by  the  victorious  Alexander, 
the  Grand  Master  of  the  Order  sent  an  appeal  for  help 
to  the  King  of  Denmark.  The  Russian  leader,  how- 
ever, considered  the  lesson  he  had  given  the  imperious 
Germans  quite  sufficient,  and  returned  to  Pskov  in  a 
triumphal  procession,  with  fifty  Knights  walking  behind 
him  in  full  armour,  but  barefoot,  with  heads  bowed  and 
eyes  cast  on  the  ground.  At  the  gates  of  the  city  he 
was  met  by  the  clergy  and  by  a  joyous,  grateful  people, 
who  hailed  him  as  their  deliverer.  Overcome  with 
emotion,  Alexander  Nevski  thus  addressed  the  citizens  : 
"  O,  ye  people  of  Pskov,  should  you  ever  forget  Alex- 
ander, and  should  even  my  most  remote  descendants 
fail  in  time  of  misfortune  to  find  in  you  faithful  sup- 
porters, ye  will  be  for  ever  an  example  of  ingratitude." 

Novgorod  rejoiced  with  Pskov  over  her  deliverance, 
and,  not  long  after,  peace  was  concluded  between  the 
two  Republics  and  the  Teutonic  Order. 

Alexander  Nevski  had  yet  another  enemy  to  contend 
with — the  Lithuanians — who  also  attacked  Novgorod, 
and  several  fierce  battles  had  to  be  fought  before  this 
enemy  was  subdued.  Delivered  from  all  her  external 
foes,  Novgorod  flourished  as  a  trading  centre,  and 


84  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

increased  more  and  more  in  power,  riches  and  territory, 
until  finally  all  Northern  Russia  to  the  shores  of  the 
White  Sea  and  to  the  slopes  of  the  Ural  Mountains 
belonged  to  the  Republics. 

All  Russians  were  proud  of  Alexander  Nevski,  but 
what  lent  the  greatest  lustre  to  his  name  was  the  fact 
that  he  alone  of  all  the  Russian  princes  owed  no 
allegiance  to  the  Mongol  Khan  ;  therefore  the  people 
called  him  their  "  Independent  Prince."  Batu  Khan, 
however,  resented  this  independence,  and  sent  the 
following  message  to  Alexander  :  "  Prince  of  Nov- 
gorod !  Is  it  not  known  to  thee  that  God  has  put 
many  nations  under  my  feet  ?  Wilt  thou  be  the  only 
one  to  deny  me  the  homage  that  is  my  due  ?  If  thou 
desirest  to  reign  in  peace,  present  thyself  without 
delay  before  my  tent,  where  thou  shalt  behold  the 
pride  and  glory  of  the  Mongols." 

Had  Alexander  followed  the  dictates  of  his  proud 
and  independent  spirit,  he  would  have  refused  to  obey 
this  arrogant  command;  but  he  loved  his  people,  and 
desired  above  all  things  to  spare  them  the  misery  that 
would  surely  ensue  should  he  displease  the  Mongol 
Khan.  He  therefore  decided  to  set  out  on  his  journey 
to  Sarai,  which  he  found  on  his  arrival  to  consist  en- 
tirely of  tents,  covering  a  large  area  of  ground.  In  the 
midst  of  the  camp  stood  the  gorgeous  tent  of  Batu, 
which  he  had  carried  away  as  booty  from  Hungary. 

As  soon  as  he  heard  that  Alexander  had  arrived,  the 
Khan  sent  for  him,  but  before  being  permitted  to  come 
into  the  Mongol's  presence,  the  Russian  was  told  to 
pass  between  two  fires  and  bow  in  reverence  before 
the  sun.  This,  however,  the  Christian  prince  refused 


THE   MONGOL   INVASION  85 

to  do,  and  when  his  refusal  was  reported  to  the  Khan, 
he  was  so  impressed  by  his  visitor's  manly  courage 
that  he  instantly  gave  orders  for  Alexander  Nevski  to 
be  brought  into  his  presence  without  further  ceremony, 
and  with  all  due  honour  and  respect.  On  entering  the 
tent,  which  was  ablaze  with  oriental  splendour,  Alex- 
ander beheld  the  stately,  magnificent  Khan  of  the 
Golden  Horde,  sitting  with  two  or  three  of  his  wives 
on  a  raised,  gilded  couch. 

Batu  soon  realized  that  the  report  which  had  reached 
his  ears  of  Alexander  Nevski's  fame  had  not  been 
exaggerated :  he  found  this  prince  a  head  and  shoulders 
above  all  the  others  who  had  been  to  his  tent.  After 
expressing  his  pleasure  at  meeting  with  the  famous 
Russian,  he  granted  his  request  that  he  might  be 
allowed  to  buy  off  a  number  of  his  unfortunate  fellow- 
countrymen  who  had  been  carried  into  captivity  by  the 
Khan  ;  but  to  Alexander's  disappointment,  Batu  Khan, 
instead  of  letting  him  return  to  Russia,  insisted  upon 
his  travelling  on  into  Tatary  to  pay  homage  to  the 
Emperor  of  the  Mongols,  then  at  his  summer  resi- 
dence in  Karakorum,  in  the  Desert  of  Gobi.  It  was  a 
terrible  journey,  the  Russians  being  tormented  by 
hunger  and  thirst  ;  indeed,  many  of  them  fell  by  the 
way,  and  their  bones  increased  the  number  of  skulls  and 
skeletons  which  already  marked  out  the  desert  track. 

At  the  court  of  the  Emperor,  Alexander  merely 
swelled  the  number  of  rulers  and  ambassadors  who  had 
come  from  far  and  near  to  bring  tribute  or  to  do  obei- 
sance to  the  great  Khan.  All  these  representatives, 
whether  of  the  Greek  Emperor,  the  King  of  France, 
the  King  of  Giorgia  or  the  Pope,  were  exposed  to  the 


86  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

insolence  and  extortions  of  the  Mongol  Emperor's 
entourage,  of  whom  the  Pope's  legate  wrote,  "  They 
are  the  most  intolerable  exacters,  most  covetous  posses- 
sors, and  most  niggardly  givers  .  .  .  and  if  a  man 
bestow  aught  upon  them,  it  is  but  generosity  lost,  for 
they  are  thankless  wretches.  They  esteem  themselves 
lords,  and  think  nothing  should  be  denied  them  by 
any  man.  .  .  .  We  departed  from  them.  And  in  very 
deed  it  seemed  to  me  that  we  were  escaped  out  of  the 
hands  of  devils." 

After  an  absence  of  nearly  two  years,  Alexander 
Nevski  returned  to  Russia,  having  received  from  the 
Great  Khan  the  dignity  of  Grand  Duke  of  Kiev ;  but 
as  this  principality  was  in  a  state  of  utter  ruin  and  in 
the  hands  of  Mongol  officials,  he  went  to  Novgorod, 
where  he  was  received  with  joy  by  the  people.  Unfor- 
tunately, his  stay  amongst  them  was  soon  cut  short,  for 
again  he  had  to  undertake  the  journey  to  Sarai,  this 
time  to  intercede  for  one  of  his  brothers  who  had 
incurred  the  displeasure  of  the  Khan.  Alexander  suc- 
ceeded in  his  quest,  and  also  obtained  for  himself  the 
recognition  of  his  right  to  the  title  of  Grand  Duke  of 
Suzdal,  which  had  been  denied  him  on  his  first  visit. 

On  his  return  from  this  second  journey,  Alexander 
had  to  contend  with  various  civic  troubles,  which  he 
had  hardly  settled  when  the  Swedes  and  Finns  began 
to  raid  the  country.  Thereupon  he  sent  an  embassy 
to  King  Haakon  of  Norway,  urging  him  to  restrain 
his  unruly  subjects.  This  representation,  backed  up 
by  some  successful  punitive  expeditions,  had  at  last  the 
desired  effect,  and  Novgorod  was  left  in  peace  by  her 
northern  foes. 


THE   MONGOL   INVASION  87 

About  this  period  Alexander  was  visited  by  two 
cardinals,  who  brought  him  a  personal  letter  from  the 
Pope,  telling  him  that  his  father,  while  visiting  the 
Khan,  was  on  the  point  of  accepting  the  Roman  faith 
when  death  suddenly  overtook  him.  This,  the  Pope 
said,  he  knew  for  certain,  as  his  legate,  Johannes  de 
Piano  Carpini,  had  met  the  Grand  Duke  in  Kara- 
korum,  and  had  been  commissioned  by  him  to  urge 
his  son  Alexander  to  enter  the  true  fold  and  obey  the 
representative  of  God  upon  earth,  and  thereby  save  his 
own  soul  and  secure  happiness  and  blessing  for  his 
people.  Besides,  Russia  would  gain  in  every  respect 
if  in  union  with  the  Western  Church.  He  added  that 
Alexander,  as  a  true  servant  of  Christ,  ought  to  advise 
the  Livonian  Knights  of  any  new  move  or  invasion  on 
the  part  of  the  Mongols.  The  Pope  concluded  his 
letter  with  praise  of  Alexander's  independent  attitude 
towards  the  Khan,  for  he  had  not  yet  heard  of  his 
humiliating  journey  to  the  Great  Khan. 

Having  read  the  letter,  Alexander  called  his  coun- 
cillors together,  and,  after  careful  deliberation,  sent  the 
Pope  a  reply  to  the  effect  that  he  and  his  people  had 
the  true  teaching,  and  that  he  would  have  nothing  to 
do  with  the  Pope's  proposals. 

Once  again  the  Grand  Duke  was  obliged  to  set  off 
on  an  expedition  to  the  Golden  Horde,  owing  to  the 
death  of  Batu  Khan,  whose  successor  was  threatening 
to  invade  northern  Russia  and  make  it  tributary  to 
himself.  In  the  hopes  of  saving  his  hitherto  free 
country  from  this  awful  calamity,  Alexander  went  laden 
with  rich  presents  for  the  new  Khan,  who  accepted 
them  with  alacrity  ;  nevertheless,  he  demanded  that 


88  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

Novgorod  also  should  henceforth  pay  tribute.  As  his 
one  desire  was  to  save  the  proud  city  from  destruction, 
Alexander  had  no  choice  but  to  submit,  and,  accom- 
panied by  Tatar  tax-gatherers,  he  returned  to  his  city, 
where  the  terrible  task  awaited  him  of  informing  the 
free  citizens  that  they,  too,  must  now  bend  under  the 
Mongol  yoke.  The  people  were  horror-stricken  at 
the  news,  and,  at  the  arrival  of  the  Tatar  officials  who 
had  come  to  take  a  census  for  the  purpose  of  levying 
tribute,  the  Novgorodians  offered  passive  resistance, 
while  at  the  same  time  they  forced  presents  upon  the 
Tatars  in  order  to  get  rid  of  them. 

Novgorod  thus  succeeded  in  gaining  a  respite,  but, 
two  years  later,  hearing  that  the  Tatar  hordes  were  on 
their  way  to  coerce  the  rebellious  republicans  to  obe- 
dience, the  citizens  bowed  to  the  inevitable,  and  the 
last  free  Russian  principality  became  a  vassal  state  of 
the  Khan.  At  first  the  Tatar  officials  themselves  col- 
lected the  tribute,  but  after  a  while  they  farmed  it  out 
to  the  Asiatic  merchants  from  Khiva  and  other  parts. 
These  merchants  ruthlessly  exacted  far  more  than  their 
due  from  the  unfortunate  Russians,  who,  when  unable 
to  pay,  were  carried  away  into  captivity. 

Suddenly,  as  if  by  design,  but  in  reality  quite  spon- 
taneously, the  exasperated  people  of  northern  Russia 
rose  up  with  one  accord  and  turned  on  these  extor- 
tioners who  had  so  tormented  them.  In  Yaroslavl,  a 
renegade  monk  and  notorious  tax-gatherer  was  mur- 
dered and  his  body  thrown  to  the  dogs.  Adding 
insult  to  injury,  and  conscious  of  the  Khan's  favour, 
he  had  not  only  oppressed  the  people,  but  had  offended 
them  by  reviling  their  faith. 


THE    MONGOL   INVASION  89 

This  rising  against  the  Mongol  officials  so  incensed 
the  Khan  that,  in  order  to  placate  his  anger,  Alexander 
Nevski  travelled  again  to  the  Golden  Horde  to  appeal 
to  him  in  person,  but  it  was  only  with  the  utmost 
difficulty  that  he  succeeded  in  persuading  the  Khan  to 
forego  his  revenge.  The  Prince  managed  at  the  same 
time  to  settle  another  matter  which  had  greatly  troubled 
him,  namely,  the  Khan's  desire  that  the  Russian  princes 
should  send  him  troops  to  take  part  in  his  campaigns. 
For  nearly  a  year  the  Russian  ruler  had  to  live  in  Sarai 
as  a  humble  suppliant  at  the  court  of  Batu  Khan's 
successor. 

The  strain  of  physical  hardship  as  well  as  of  moral 
suffering  had  gradually  undermined  the  health  of  the 
Grand  Duke  to  such  an  extent  that,  on  his  return 
journey,  and  before  he  could  even  reach  his  capital,  he 
fell  seriously  ill.  The  Prince,  who  had  given  his 
strength  so  freely  for  his  people,  now  desired  to  spend 
the  short  time  left  to  him  in  preparation  for  his  ap- 
proaching death,  and,  according  to  a  custom  prevalent 
at  this  time,  he  took  the  monastic  vow. 

On  his  death-bed  the  noble  warrior-prince  gently 
requested  his  weeping  people  not  to  grieve  so  deeply, 
as  their  distress  was  troubling  his  soul  ;  and  a  few 
days  later,  surrounded  by  his  devoted  and  now  heart- 
broken friends  and  followers,  he  succumbed  to  a  mortal 
disease. 

When  the  news  of  his  death  reached  the  Metro- 
politan of  Vladimir,  who  was  in  the  act  of  conducting 
a  service  in  the  cathedral,  he  addressed  his  congregation 
as  follows,  "  My  dear  children,  the  sun  has  set  for 
Russia  ! "  Then,  breaking  down  with  emotion,  he 


90  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

uttered  these  simple  but  ominous  words,  "Alexander 
is  dead  !  "  The  full  weight  of  this  announcement  was 
at  once  realized  by  all  who  heard  it,  for  to  everyone 
Alexander  Nevski  seemed  indispensable ;  he  had  been 
their  shield  and  protector,  their  interceder  and  friend. 
The  tears  shed  over  his  death  came  straight  from  the 
heart  of  a  loving  and  grateful  people,  and  so  unre- 
strained was  the  sorrow  at  his  funeral  that  the  choir 
could  not  sing  for  emotion,  and  the  "  earth  herself 
seemed  to  groan  in  sympathy."  Even  the  proud 
citizens  of  Novgorod,  with  whom  he  had  had  frequent 
disputes,  were  unanimous  in  their  sorrow  over  his 
decease.  They  prayed  fervently  for  the  soul  of  this 
valiant  knight,  <c  for,"  said  they,  "  he  has  laboured 
much  on  behalf  of  Novgorod  and  all  the  Russian 
lands."  Thus  died,  in  1263,  Alexander  Nevski,  beloved 
and  honoured. 

Although  more  than  a  century  elapsed  before  he 
was  canonized  by  the  Church,  the  people  at  once  be- 
stowed upon  their  beloved  prince  the  tender  and  loving 
prefix  of  Saint,  believing  that  as  he  had  interceded  for 
them  on  earth  with  the  Khan,  he  would,  now  that  he 
was  in  heaven,  become  their  guardian  angel.  Soon 
many  legends  grew  up  around  this  famous  national 
hero,  and  the  pious  thoughts  of  the  people  ascribed  to 
his  name  many  a  deed  of  blessing  to  his  country.  He 
appeared  in  visions,  and  his  relics  were  said  to  have 
cured  many  sick  who  visited  his  tomb  ;  but  his  actual 
canonization  did  not  take  place  until  the  year  1380, 
and  November  23  has  ever  since  been  dedicated  to 
Alexander,  the  patron  saint  of  Russia. 

Nearly  three  and   a  half  centuries  later,  Alexander 


THE    MONGOL   INVASION  91 

Nevski's  descendant,  Peter  the  Great,  wrested  from 
the  Swedes  the  shores  of  the  river  Neva,  and  it  seemed 
to  him  only  fair  that  the  remains  of  his  great  ancestor, 
who  had  won  fame  in  the  battle  of  the  Neva,  should 
rest  in  the  new  capital  on  that  very  river.  Peter  the 
Great  also  instituted  the  order  of  Alexander  Nevski, 
and  gave  to  it  the  noble  motto,  "  For  Labour  and  for 
the  Fatherland,"  a  permanent  reminder  of  the  great 
prince  who  spent  his  strength  in  labouring  for  his 
country. 


TATAR   ON    HORSEBACK. 
From  Ides-Isbrant,  Three  Years'  Travels,  1706. 


CHAPTER  VII 


DMITRI   DONSKOI   AND  THE  BATTLE    OF    KULIKOVO 

MORE  than  a  century  had 
passed  since  Russia 
had  become  a  mere 
principality  of  the 
Mongol  Empire,  and 
Alexander  Nevski  had 
obeyed  the  command 
of  Batu  Khan  to  appear 
before  him,  as  his 
father  and  the  other 
princes  had  done. 
What  Johannes  de 
Piano  Carpini,  the 
Pope's  legate  to  the  Mongol  Emperor,  describes  as 
having  been  witnessed  by  him  at  that  far  away  court  in 
Tatary  in  1246 — "without  the  doore  stoode  Duke 
Yeroslaus  of  Suzdal  in  Russia  " — was,  unfortunately, 
still  typical  of  the  position  of  the  Russian  princes. 
They  were  but  humiliated  petitioners  for  Tatar 
favours,  forced  to  bring  presents,  to  bribe,  to  cringe 
before  their  overlord,  under  whose  iron  rule  Russia 
groaned  as  under  a  burden  too  heavy  to  be  borne. 

If  princes  wished   to   be    unmolested    by  the  Khan, 

92 


WARRIORS   RIDING    INTO   BATTLE. 
From  a  fourteenth  century  MS. 


DMITRI   DONSKOI  93 

they  had  to  bribe  him  until  he  gave,  or  more  often 
sold,  to  them  a  "  Yarlyik,"  or  letters  patent,  which 
confirmed  them  in  their  position  as  rulers  of  their 
own  principalities.  As  to  the  dignity  of  Grand 
Duke,  this  matter  was  usually  settled  by  the  Khan 
according  to  the  value  of  the  presents  brought  to  him. 
Thus  it  became  the  custom  for  the  princes  to  visit  the 
Khan  at  Sarai,  whence,  however,  many  of  them  never 
returned,  for  the  poisoned  cup  or  the  executioner's 
axe  made  short  work  of  fractious  or  inconvenient 
dignitaries. 

The  representatives  of  the  Khan  in  Russia  were  the 
Baskaki,  whose  favour  the  princes  did  their  utmost  to 
win,  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  advantages  for  them- 
selves and  some  slight  concessions  for  their  people. 
On  the  other  hand,  quarrels  with  these  officials  proved 
disastrous,  for  they  had  to  be  settled  by  the  Khan, 
whose  judgment  was  always  in  favour  of  the  Baskak. 

The  people  of  Russia,  however,  came  very  little  into 
touch  with  the  Tatars  ;  all  they  were  conscious  of  was 
the  fact  that  they  had  to  pay  taxes,  which  were  ruth- 
lessly exacted  from  them,  and  woe  to  those  who  did 
not  bring  in  the  prescribed  number  of  skins  or  other 
articles  commandeered.  The  numerous  Mongol 
officials  lived  on  the  people,  whom  they  sucked  dry. 
Utterly  helpless  and  unprotected,  the  common  people 
groaned  under  the  burden,  for  the  road  to  Sarai  was 
long,  and  who  would  listen  to  their  complaints  even  if 
they  succeeded  in  reaching  that  place  ?  Occasionally, 
however,  some  prince  or  bishop  would  plead  for  them, 
for  high  dignitaries  of  the  Church  frequently  visited 
the  Golden  Horde.  Some  of  the  Metropolitans  even 


94  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

acquired  great  influence,  for,  in  conformity  with  the 
principles  laid  down  by  Genghis  Khan,  religious 
toleration  was  practised,  all  Church  lands  and  monas- 
teries being  exempt  from  taxation. 

In  course  of  time  the  Russian  princes  themselves 
became  the  chief  tax-gatherers  on  behalf  of  the  Khan, 
who  was  satisfied  as  long  as  tribute  was  duly  delivered. 
This  position  of  tax-gatherer  proved,  however,  very 
demoralizing,  since  the  princes  often  developed  the 
habit  of  exacting  more  tribute  than  was  demanded  by 
their  Mongol  overlord  ;  some  even  extorted  double 
the  sum  required,  the  surplus,  of  course,  remaining  in 
their  own  pockets.  The  influence  of  the  Mongols 
degraded  all  who  had  to  deal  with  them,  and  all  true 
manliness  and  every  desire  for  independence  seemed  to 
have  died  out  of  Russia.  The  princes  were  drawn 
more  and  more  into  intercourse  with  the  Tatars,  and 
gradually  became  satisfied  to  rule  by  favour  of  the 
Khans.  Even  marriage  relations  were  entered  into 
with  the  Mongols,  and  some  princes  went  so  far  as  to 
make  use  of  Tatar  troops  in  private  feuds.  Thus 
infidels  were  actually  employed  by  Christian  Russians 
against  their  own  kith  and  kin. 

It  was  by  these  means  that  certain  princes  increased 
in  power,  especially  those  of  Moscow,  who  frequently 
received  the  coveted  Yarlyiks  which  conferred  upon 
them  the  dignity  of  Grand  Dukes,  and  as  such  they 
wielded  authority  over  the  others.  Thus,  unobserved 
by  the  Mongol  rulers,  a  menace  to  their  own  domina- 
tion was  arising  in  Muscovy,  which  was  steadily 
increasing  in  power  through  the  very  favour  of  the 
Khans.  As  yet,  however,  though  now  and  then  some 


DMITRI    DONSKOI  95 

prince  might  have  a  vision  of  the  day  when  Russia 
would  be  free  from  the  Mongol  domination,  there  was 
no  solidarity  amongst  her  rulers,  and  the  herculean  task 
of  breaking  the  shackles,  so  securely  fastened,  was  more 
than  one  man  could  accomplish  alone. 

Such  were  the  conditions  of  Russia  in  the  fourteenth 
century,  during  which  time  England  was  engaged  in 
the  Hundred  Years'  War  with  France,  and  the  Battle 
of  Crecy  was  fought,  while  at  home  Wyclif  was 
preaching  against  the  priest,  and  Wat  Tyler  was 
heading  his  rebellion. 

At  last  there  arose  for  Russia  the  man  who  was 
destined  to  strike  a  blow  at  the  Tatars,  and  thereby 
permanently  weaken  their  power.  This  man  was 
Prince  Dmitri  Ivanovitch  of  Muscovy.  When  Dmitri 
was  a  child  of  nine  years  old,  his  father,  a  quiet,  gentle 
prince,  had  died,  and  thereupon  his  uncle  promptly 
usurped  the  title  of  Grand  Duke.  The  boyars, 
however,  brought  the  boy  to  the  Golden  Horde, 
where  they  purchased  for  him  the  Yarlyik  which 
conferred  upon  him  the  dignity  of  Grand  Duke. 
They  took  this  step  because  they  feared  the  loss  of  the 
hegemony  enjoyed  by  Moscow  since  the  days  of  Ivan 
Kalita  (1328—1340),  Dmitri's  grandfather,  under  whose 
strong  and  unscrupulous  rule  Muscovy  had  risen  to 
prestige  and  power. 

In  the  meantime  a  danger  from  the  West  was 
threatening  the  newly-acquired  power  of  Muscovy — 
namely,  Lithuania,  whose  princes,  Gedemin  and  Olgerd, 
were  great  statesmen  ;  for  many  of  the  Russian 
princes  had  preferred  to  owe  allegiance  to  these  rulers 
rather  than  to  recognize  the  Tatar-fostered  superiority 


96  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

of  the  princes  of  Moscow.  There  were  perpetual 
feuds  between  Moscow  and  other  towns  and  princi- 
palities, especially  those  of  Ryazan  and  Tver,  while 
the  arrogance  of  Muscovy  was  particularly  galling  to 
the  people  of  Nijni-Novgorod. 

When,  therefore,  Dmitri  took  up  the  reins  of 
government  in  1363,  he  had  no  easy  task  before  him  ; 
for  three  foes  had  to  be  overcome — Tver,  Lithuania 
and  the  Tatars.  First  it  was  Tver  which  gave  him  the 
most  trouble,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that,  during  one  of 
his  visits  to  the  Golden  Horde,  Dmitri  had  ransomed 
the  young  son  of  the  Prince  of  Tver  for  ten  thousand 
roubles,  the  sum  for  which  his  father  had  pawned  him 
to  the  Tatars,  but  of  which  he  now  demanded  repay- 
ment from  the  Prince  of  Tver.  On  the  Tatar  side, 
a  new  and  hitherto  undreamt  of  danger  was  menacing 
Russia.  News  spread  that  Mamai,  the  virtual  ruler — 
although  not  yet  the  Khan — of  the  Golden  Horde, 
was  planning  a  new  invasion  into  Russia,  and  this  time 
for  the  purpose  not  only  of  devastating  the  land,  but 
also  of  extirpating  the  Christian  faith.  The  pretext  for 
this  invasion  was  punishment  for  what  Mamai  con- 
sidered Dmitri's  ingratitude  and  independent  attitude 
with  regard  to  the  payment  of  tribute  ;  for  Dmitri, 
while  visiting  Sarai,  had  witnessed  the  weakening  of 
the  Khan's  authority,  and  had  refused  to  pay  the  same 
amount  of  tribute  as  in  former  days.  Therefore,  when 
Mamai  became  Khan,  he  decided  to  satisfy  his  feelings 
of  revenge  towards  proud  Muscovy.  The  power  of 
the  Khans,  however,  had  been  weakened  to  such  an 
extent  in  consequence  of  gradual  internal  disintegration 
by  the  splitting  up  of  the  Golden  Horde  into  lesser 


DMITRI   DONSK01  97 

Khanates,  that  Mamai  was  obliged  to  follow  the  advice 
of  his  councillors,  who  said,  "  Thy  horde  is  exhausted, 
but  thou  hast  wealth,  therefore  hire  Genoese,  Tcher- 
kess,  Yassi  and  others."  This  he  did,  but  he  proudly 
refused  the  assistance  offered  to  him  by  Dmitri's  arch- 
enemies, the  Grand  Duke  of  Lithuania  and  the  Prince 
of  Tver. 

These  two  rulers  calculated  that  Dmitri  would  flee 
before  Mamai 's  hordes,  and  that,  after  having  levied 
another  heavy  tribute  on  Muscovy,  the  Mongols 
would  withdraw.  It  would  then  be  their  opportunity 
to  divide  the  weakened  principality  between  them- 
selves. They  had  reckoned  without  their  host.  The 
approaching  danger  aroused  in  Dmitri  all  his  latent 
powers  of  leadership,  and  he  immediately  called 
upon  the  nation  to  rally  round  him.  From  all  parts 
his  call  found  ready  response,  and  from  all  over  the 
country  men  flocked  to  his  standard,  and  whole  towns 
were  arming  in  preparation  for  the  contest.  It  seemed 
as  though  the  nation  had  only  been  waiting  for  a 
deliverer,  as  if  the  people  of  Russia  were  awakening 
out  of  a  deep  sleep.  The  nightmare  of  the  Tatar 
oppression  was  passing  away,  and  at  last  they  were 
beginning  to  feel  themselves  able  to  withstand  the 
awful  and  hitherto  invincible  foe.  With  the  exception 
of  Oleg  of  Tver,  who  pretended  to  be  on  the  side  of 
Dmitri,  but,  in  reality,  meant  to  join  Mamai,  all  the 
princes  threw  in  their  lot  with  Dmitri. 

Unity  among  the  princes  was  a  new  and  unprece- 
dented sight,  and,  according  to  the  chronicler,  for  the 
first  time  in  the  annals  of  Russian  history,  her  rulers 
preferred  death  to  bondage. 


98  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

For  the  Russian  people  this  was  a  holy  war,  and 
all  were  willing  to  die  for  their  faith.  Every  one  did 
his  or  her  share  towards  serving  the  fatherland,  "  some 
with  the  sword,  others  with  prayer  ..."  and  on  the 
zeal  and  devotion  of  the  people  rested  the  benediction 
of  the  clergy. 

When  the  Mongol  leader  heard  of  all  these  doings, 
he  tried  to  settle  matters  amicably  with  the  Grand 
Duke.  He  therefore  sent  envoys,  who  demanded  an 
increased  tribute  as  the  price  of  staying  his  hand. 
Dmitri,  however,  proudly  refused  to  pay  one  additional 
kopeck  to  the  sum  agreed  upon  during  his  last  visit  to 
Sarai. 

There  had  been  some  divergence  of  opinion  amongst 
the  princes  who  had  joined  Dmitri  as  to  the  best  plan 
of  action,  some  urging  him  not  to  venture  to  meet  the 
foe,  for  they  pointed  out  that  besides  the  Tatars  there 
were  other  enemies,  the  Lithuanians  and  the  people  of 
Tver.  Others  said,  "  Go  forth  to  the  Don  ; "  and 
this  was  the  advice  he  followed,  for,  he  maintained,  "  it 
is  better  to  die  an  honourable  death  than  to  retain  life 
at  the  cost  of  honour."  Away  from  his  capital  rode 
the  gallant  prince  to  lead  his  warriors  to  victory. 
"  God  is  with  us,"  he  cried,  as  he  waved  farewell  to 
his  weeping  wife. 

But  before  starting  he  visited  Sergei  Radonejski,  the 
venerable  and  saintly  Abbot  of  the  Troitsa  Monastery, 
who  gave  him  his  blessing,  saying,  "  Go  forward, 
and  the  Holy  Trinity  will  assist  thee."  He  predicted 
victory  to  the  Russian  armies,  but  at  the  cost  of 
terrible  bloodshed  :  many  heroes  would  fall,  yet  the 
Grand  Duke  himself  would  escape  with  his  life.  At 


DMITRI   DONSKOI  99 

the  latter's  request  he  selected  two  monks  who,  in 
former  years,  had  been  boyars  and  well  fitted  to  stand 
by  their  leader,  to  go  with  him  into  battle.  As  they 
knelt  before  him  for  his  parting  blessing,  Sergei  per- 
formed the  symbolic  action  of  covering  them  with 
a  monk's  habit  embroidered  with  a  cross,  saying, 
"This  is  your  weapon,  may  it  serve  to  protect  you." 
The  Bishop  of  Kolomna  also  blessed  Dmitri  in  his 
crusade  "  against  the  accursed  eaters  of  raw  flesh, 
against  the  infamous  Yagiello  of  Lithuania  and  the 
treacherous  Oleg  of  Tver." 

On  rode  Dmitri  until  he  reached  the  banks  of  the 
river  Don  where  the  Tatars  were  encamped.  On 
the  eve  of  the  battle  Dmitri  and  the  other  princes 
and  leaders  of  the  Russian  Army  stood  on  a  hill 
to  review  the  vast  host.  It  was  a  glorious  sight 
which  presented  itself  to  their  gaze,  for  the  helmets, 
inlaid  with  gold,  had  caught  the  rays  of  the  sun.  The 
icon  of  the  Saviour  on  the  Grand  Duke's  standard 
shone  with  a  radiant  light.  Nature  herself  seemed 
to  be  in  sympathy  with  the  great  event,  for  during 
that  night  the  watching  Russians  heard  beautiful 
music  in  the  air,  while  from  the  Tatar  camp  came 
the  howling  of  wolves  and  the  croaking  of  ravens. 

Next  morning  the  gallant  Russians  were  drawn  up 
in  battle  array.  Dmitri  stood  on  the  hillock  over- 
looking the  field  of  Kulikovo,  and  the  chronicler 
tells  us  that,  when  he  heard  the  sound  of  thousands 
of  Russian  voices  calling  upon  God — "  Lord,  give 
victory  to  our  Leader  !  "  —he  fell  on  his  knees  and, 
lifting  up  his  eyes  to  the  image  of  the  Saviour  on  his 
standard,  prayed  again  earnestly  that  his  fatherland 


ioo  SOME    RUSSIAN    HEROES 

might  be  delivered  out  of  the  hands  of  the  infidel. 
Then  he  rode  straight  up  to  the  lines  and  spoke  words 
of  encouragement  to  his  men,  calling  them  his  faith- 
ful friends,  and  promising  them  glory  in  this  life  and 
a  martyr's  crown  in  the  life  to  come. 

The  princes  implored  Dmitri  not  to  expose  himself 
to  danger  ;  "  for,"  said  they,  <c  it  is  the  duty  of  a 
leader  to  watch  the  battle,  to  take  note  of  deeds  of 
valour,  so  that  those  who  deserve  it  may  be  rewarded. 
We  are  all  willing  to  lay  down  our  lives,  but  thou, 
beloved  Prince,  must  live  and  pass  on  our  memory 
to  future  generations.  Without  thee  we  cannot  hope 
for  victory."  Such  advice,  however,  the  gallant  Grand 
Duke  could  not  follow.  "  Where  you  are,  there 
must  I  be  also.  How  can  I  ask  others  to  die  for  the 
fatherland  while  I  myself  remain  in  safety.  I  must 
be  your  leader,  not  only  in  word  but  in  deed."  Then, 
with  the  words  of  the  psalmist — *c  God  is  our  refuge 
and  strength'' — on  his  lips,  he  led  his  followers  to  the 
attack.  It  was  not  until  the  fight  became  general 
that  he  withdrew  from  the  forefront  of  the  battle 
which  was  more  bloody  and  more  awful  than  had 
ever  been  witnessed  before  in  the  history  of  Russia. 
The  Tatar  cavalry  rode  into  the  ranks  of  the  Russian 
infantry,  trampling  them  under  their  horses'  feet,  and 
mowing  them  down  like  grass.  Blood  flowed  like 
water,  and  the  corpses  lay  so  thick  upon  the  ground 
that  many  a  living  man  was  crushed  to  death  under 
the  heap  of  dead,  and  for  a  distance  of  ten  versts  the 
battle  surged  with  fury.  Some  of  the  younger  men 
of  the  Muscovite  army,  who  had  never  been  in  action 
before,  succumbed  to  panic  and  fled,  thus  leaving  the 


DMITRI    DONSKOI    BEING    BLESSED    BY   SERGEI    RADONEJSKI. 
From  the  painting  by  N.  Novoskoltsev. 


DMITRI   DONSKGI-  101 

way  open  for  the  Tatars  to  make  a  rush  towards 
the  Grand  Duke's  standard,  and  all  seemed  lost.  Yet 
towards  evening  fortune  favoured  the  Russians,  and 
what  had  threatened  to  become  a  complete  rout 
turned  into  a  glorious  though  dearly-bought  victory. 

At  a  little  distance  from  the  field  of  battle,  hidden 
in  a  wood  under  cover  of  the  trees,  stood  some  picked 
regiments  commanded  by  the  young  prince  Vladimir, 
who  longed  to  throw  himself  into  the  fray,  but,  on 
the  advice  of  that  experienced  old  warrior,  Dmitri 
Bobrok  of  Volhynia,  he  restrained  himself  for  a  while, 
intently  watching  the  furious  combat.  But  at  last  he 
could  endure  it  no  longer,  and  called  out,  "  Dmitri 
Bobrok,  why  arc  we  doing  nothing?  Who  benefits 
by  our  standing  here  idle  ?  I  tell  you  evil  will  come 
of  it." 

"Yes,"  said  the  old  warrior  in  reply,  things  are 
in  a  very  bad  way,  but  the  time  has  not  yet  come 
for  us  to  strike.  He  who  attacks  at  the  wrong 
moment  does  so  to  his  hurt.  Let  us  pray  to  God 
and  wait  until  the  eighth  hour — then  .  .  .  may  God 
help  us  to  go  forward." 

The  plight  of  the  Russians  became  worse  and  worse 
— it  seemed  as  though  the  Tatars  were  annihilating 
them.  The  men  in  ambush,  chafing  at  the  restraint 
put  upon  them,  began  to  protest  vehemently  against 
being  held  back,  but  Bobrok  rebuked  them,  saying, 
"  Wait,  have  patience,  you  silly  Russian  children." 
They  fumed  and  fretted,  but  obeyed,  having  con- 
fidence in  their  gruff  old  leader  ;  and  at  the  very 
moment  when  the  Tatars  seemed  to  have  secured  the 
victory,  he  called  out,  "  Prince  Vladimir  !  and  you, 


502  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

ye  sons  of  Russia,  brothers  and  friends,  the  hour  has 
come — now  is  our  time  to  strike,  and  may  the  Holy 
Spirit  help  and  guide  us  !  "  Then  he  with  his  fresh 
troops  rushed  forth  and  attacked  the  foe.  The  Tatars, 
already  exhausted  by  long  hours  of  warfare,  were 
taken  aback  by  the  unexpectedness  of  the  onslaught, 
and  seeing  themselves  attacked  on  both  flanks,  were 
seized  with  panic.  They  turned  and  fled. 

It  is  reported  that  when  the  great  Tatar  leader  saw 
this  rout  of  his  army,  he  joined  in  the  flight,  crying, 
"  Great  is  the  God  of  the  Christians  !  "  Encouraged 
by  this  turn  of  the  tide,  the  Russians  pursued  the 
enemy  until  they  reached  the  river  Metcha,  where 
many  more  Tatars  were  slain  and  many  were  drowned. 
Their  camp,  full  of  treasure  and  booty,  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Russian  victors. 

In  this  battle,  the  most  famous  of  Russian  history 
until  the  Battle  of  Poltava  in  1712,  the  Russians  are 
said  to  have  been  outnumbered  by  four  to  one. 

When  all  was  over,  Prince  Dmitri  Bobrok 
gathered  the  princes  together,  but  nowhere  was  the 
Grand  Duke  to  be  found.  Dreading  lest  their  be- 
loved leader  should  have  fallen  a  prey  to  the  foe, 
they  searched  for  him  in  every  direction.  At  last  they 
found  him  lying  on  the  ground  under  a  tree,  where 
he  had  been  knocked  ofF  his  horse  by  a  blow.  Bend- 
ing tenderly  over  the  apparently  lifeless  form  of  the 
Prince,  the  victorious  commander  shouted  into  his 
ear,  "  Live  !  Thou  hast  vanquished  the  foe  !  ' 
These  words  brought  Dmitri  back  to  life,  and,  look- 
ing up,  he  beheld  the  radiant  faces  of  his  faithful 
comrades  in  arms ;  when  he  caught  sight  of  the 


DMITRI   DONSKOI  103 

Christian  standard  floating  over  the  Mongol  dead,  he 
was  so  overcome  that  he  embraced  the  friends  who 
stood  around  him,  kissing  even  the  common  soldiers. 
Although  his  armour  had  been  broken  by  the  blows 
showered  upon  it,  he  himself  had  not  been  wounded, 
but  only  stunned,  therefore  he  was  soon  able  to 
mount  his  horse  and  ride  across  the  battlefield. 

Dmitri  did  not  pursue  the  Tatars  any  further  ; 
perhaps  because  they  were  still  in  great  numbers,  and 
to  follow  them  into  the  Steppes  would  have  been  to 
invite  disaster  on  account  of  the  lack  of  food.  He 
may  also  have  been  influenced  by  the  hope  that  Mamai 
had  been  so  weakened  that  henceforth  he  would  desist 
from  attacking  Russia. 

The  defeated  Mongol  leader  had  started  off  on  his 
return  journey  to  Sarai,  intending  to  gather  new  forces; 
but  on  the  way  he  was  attacked  by  a  rival  Khan, 
Tochtamyish,  and  on  the  river  Kalka,  where  a  hundred 
and  forty  years  previously  the  Tatars  had  destroyed 
the  first  band  of  Russian  princes  who  had  dared  to 
meet  them  in  battle,  Mamai  was  now  defeated  by  his 
rival.  He  was  soon  afterwards  killed  in  the  Genoese 
colony,  Kaffa,  in  the  Crimea,  whither  he  had  fled  for 
refuge. 

The  glorious  victory  on  the  field  of  Kulikovo  in 
1370  was,  however,  dearly  bought,  and  many  were  the 
Russian  heroes  who  there  laid  down  their  lives  for 
faith  and.  fatherland.  The  chronicler  reported  truly 
when  he  wrote,  "  Great  was  the  joy  in  Russia,  but 
great  was  also  the  mourning  for  those  slain  by  the 
forces  of  Mamai  on  the  Don."  The  news  of  the 
victory  spread  like  wildfire,  and  all  over  Russia  hearts 


io4  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

were  lifted  up  to  God  in  thanksgiving.  It  seemed  as 
if  the  Tatar  yoke  had  at  last  been  definitely  cast  off 
and  that  Christian  blood  had  not  been  spilled  in  vain. 
Great  was  the  general  rejoicing,  men  congratulated 
one  another  on  being  alive  to  see  so  glorious  a  day, 
and  a  grateful  people  bestowed  upon  Dmitri  the  title 
of  "Donskoi"—  of  the  Don. 

This  campaign  was  the  first  real  military  under- 
taking organized  by  the  Russians,  not  against  Russians 
— against  kith  and  kin — but  against  a  common  foe. 
The  chronicler  thus  tersely  describes  this  great  event  : 
"  By  the  power  of  God  and  by  Christian  weapons  fell 
the  godless  Tatars,  and  God  upheld  the  right  hand 
of  the  Grand  Duke  Dmitri  Ivanovitch."  The  victory 
had  far-reaching  consequences,  and  from  henceforth 
the  tables  were  turned.  Now  the  Tatars  began  to 
fear  the  Russians,  and  in  future  the  Khans  tried  to 
keep  their  hold  on  Russia  no  longer  by  force,  but  by 
stealth  and  treachery. 

The  hope  that  the  Mongol  domination  had  at  last 
come  to  an  end  was,  however,  not  fulfilled,  and  the 
Russian  people  had  still  much  to  suffer  at  the  hands 
of  the  Tatars.  Two  years  later  they  again  invaded 
Russia,  and  besieged  Moscow,  when  unspeakable  horrors 
were  perpetrated  by  these  ruthless  fiends,  who  gained 
entrance  to  the  Kremlin  by  false  pretences.  Dmitri 
was  far  away  from  his  capital  when  it  fell  a  prey  to 
the  treacherous  foe,  and  on  his  return  he  found  the 
charred  remains  of  his  city  strewn  with  the  corpses 
of  his  massacred  subjects.  Thus  writes  the  chronicler : 
"  How  can  I  describe  Moscow,  that  rich  and  populous 
city,  so  recently  teeming  with  life  ?  All  her  beauty 


DMITRI   DONSKOI  105 

vanished  in  a  day ;  what  remained  of  her  former  glory 
but  smoke  and  ashes — the  empty  walls  of  sacked  and 
burned-out  churches.  The  blood-soaked  earth  was 
covered  with  the  bodies  of  her  slaughtered  citizens, 
and  the  only  sounds  that  broke  the  silence  hovering 
over  this  city  of  the  dead  were  the  groans  of  the  few 
who  had  not  yet  succumbed  to  the  terrible  wounds 
inflicted  on  them." 

Unfortunately,  the  unity  brought  about  by  Mamai's 
invasion  proved  to  be  but  short  lived.  New  feuds 
broke  out  amongst  the  Russian  princes,  between  town 
and  town,  and  even  the  high  ecclesiastics  were  at 
variance,  and  taking  sides  with  the  warring  princes. 
So  distressing  was  it  to  witness  such  an  anti-climax 
that,  to  quote  a  contemporary,  "  the  soul  of  Russia  was 
sick  at  the  remembrance  of  the  disillusionment  which 
followed  on  that  great  victory." 

Dmitri  Donskoi,  whose  is  the  honour  of  having 
been  the  first  prince  to  offer  organized  resistance  to 
the  arrogant  and  overbearing  Tatars,  was  struck  down 
by  a  sudden  illness  while  still  in  his  prime.  When 
the  news  of  his  serious  illness  reached  the  ears  of  the 
citizens  they  were  sorely  distressed,  for  they  dearly 
loved  this  gallant  and  pious  prince.  Although  they 
did  not  at  first  know  that  his  disease  was  fatal,  Dmitri 
himself  was  well  aware  that  his  end  was  approaching, 
and  to  the  faithful  boyars,  who  in  silent  grief  watched 
by  his  bedside,  the  dying  hero  addressed  these  words  : 
"To  you  who  witnessed  my  birth  and  childhood,  to 
you  is  my  innermost  soul  known.  With  you  at  my 
side,  I  have  ruled  over  my  people,  defeating  their 
enemies  and  protecting  their  welfare  ;  together  we 


106  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

have  rejoiced  in  times  of  prosperity,  and  together  we 
have  grieved  when  evil  days  have  fallen  upon  us.  I 
have  loved  you  sincerely,  and  have  rewarded  you 
freely  as  was  your  just  due.  I  have  never  wounded 
your  honour  nor  touched  your  possessions.  1  have 
been  careful  not  to  offend  you  by  a  single  word,  and 
you  have  not  been  treated  as  boyars,  but  as  princes 
of  the  Russian  lands.  It  is  now  for  you  to  prove  by 
your  actions  the  sincerity  of  the  assurance  so  often 
made  to  me  :  c  We  will  die  for  you  and  your  children/ 
Therefore  give  your  loyal  service  to  my  wife  and  to 
my  youthful  sons,  and  make  their  joys  and  sorrows 
your  own." 

The  death  of  this  noble  prince  at  the  early  age  of 
forty,  in  1389,  cast  a  deep  shadow  over  the  Russian 
nation.  The  chronicler  writes  at  great  length  of  the 
great  sorrow  of  the  people,  who  felt  that  they  had  lost  a 
father  in  Dmitri.  He  enlarges  upon  the  Grand  Duke's 
eminent  powers  of  leadership,  and  speaks  of  his  clear 
mind  and  his  tender,  loving  heart.  Dmitri  was  beloved 
for  his  greatness  of  soul  and  his  devotion  to  the 
fatherland,  as  well  as  for  his  keen  sense  of  justice  ; 
by  his  thoughtful  kindness  also  he  had  endeared  him- 
self to  all  who  knew  him  personally.  Having  been 
brought  up  from  his  earliest  childhood  amongst  rough, 
unpolished  fighting  men,  and  reared  in  the  din  of 
clashing  arms,  he  had  never  acquired  any  book-learning ; 
but  his  mental  powers  and  the  nobility  and  uprightness 
of  his  character  fitted  him  to  be  a  ruler  of  men,  while 
by  his  humility  he  won  his  way  to  all  hearts. 

The  chronicler  makes  but  little  of  Dmitri's  political 
mistakes,  several  of  which  might  be  cited  by  the 


DMITRI   DONSKOI 


107 


historian,  but  to  the  first  "  defeater  of  the  Tatars  "  a 
good  deal  could  be  forgiven,  even  so  serious  an  error 
of  judgment  as  his  absence  from  Moscow  during  the 
siege  of  that  city.  Apart  from  his  victory  on  the  field 
of  Kulikovo,  which  sounded  the  death  knell  of  Mongol 
power  in  Russia,  his  historic  importance  lies  in  the 
fact  that  he  developed  the  power  of  Muscovy,  the 
seeds  of  which  had  been  planted  by  his  grandfather, 
Ivan  Kalita,  and  the  harvest  of  which  was  to  be  reaped 
by  his  great-grandson,  Ivan  III. 


BANNER   OF   DMITRI   DONSKOI,    WITH   THE    IKON   OF   OUR   LORD. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


SERGEI    RADONEJSKI,    THE    "  WONDERFUL    OLD    MAN  " 

VIL,  indeed,  were  the 
days  upon  which  Ros- 
tov had  fallen  during 
the  first  half  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  for 
that  clever  schemer, 
Ivan  Kalita  (1328- 
1340),  Grand  Duke 
of  Moscow,  had  suc- 
ceeded in  acquiring 
this  lesser  principality 

g   it   On    tO 

dominions—  a 

proceeding  bitterly  resented  by  the  people  of  Rostov, 
who  made  no  secret  of  their  feelings.  It  was  this 
attitude  of  independence  which  had  proved  their  un- 
doing, for  the  Stadthalter  sent  to  govern  them  not 
only  ruled  them  with  a  rod  of  iron,  but  made  the 
resentment  of  the  citizens  against  Muscovite  rule  the 
pretext  for  a  general  slaughter  of  boyars  as  well  as  of 
common  people.  The  Governor's  action  created  a 
panic,  and  many  families  fled  to  other  towns  for  safety. 

To   one  of  these  belonged  the  Boyar  Cyril,  who, 

108 


ILLUMINATION   FROM   A   RUSSIAN    MS.   OF 
THE   GOSPELS,    FOURTEENTH   CENTURY. 


SERGEI   RADONEJSKI  109 

with  his  wife  and  three  sons,  forsook  the  place  in  which 
his  people  had  dwelt  for  so  many  generations,  and  settled 
in  the  humble  little  town  of  Radonej.  Another  reason 
may  have  weighed  with  this  boyar  in  leaving  Rostov  ; 
for,  owing  to  a  series  of  reverses,  the  erstwhile  wealthy 
citizen  had  become  poor,  and  his  pride  forbade  him 
to  live  any  longer  in  his  native  town  under  such  altered 
circumstances.  By  selecting  Radonej  for  his  abode, 
Cyril  was  the  means  of  bringing  fame  to  that  insig- 
nificant little  township,  for  his  youngest  son,  Bartho- 
lomew, under  the  name  of  Sergei  Radonej  ski,  was 
destined  to  become  one  of  Russia's  most  popular  saints. 

Among  the  many  accounts  of  his  life,  the  most  im- 
portant is  that  written  by  his  pupil,  Ephiphani,  and 
the  following  facts  are  based  upon  the  chronicles  com- 
piled by  this  loving  and  devoted  follower  of  the 
"  Wonderful  Old  Man,"  as  St.  Sergei  Radonejski  came 
to  be  called  by  his  contemporaries.  According  to  the 
reckoning  of  those  days,  this  saint  was  born  in  the  year 
6825,  counted  from  the  creation  of  the  world,  or 
1314  A.D.  As  was  evidently  the  custom  for  boyars 
at  that  time,  his  parents  employed  tutors  to  instruct 
their  children.  Their  youngest  boy  attended  lessons 
with  his  older  brothers,  Stefan  and  Peter,  but  seemed 
too  hopelessly  stupid  to  grasp  the  intricacies  of  the 
Slavonic  script.  All  his  efforts  to  do  so  only  ended 
in  failure,  and  he  was  sorely  disheartened  by  the  gibes 
of  his  brothers  ;  yet,  though  apparently  unable  to 
assimilate  book-learning,  he  showed  a  marvellous 
understanding  of  the  spiritual,  and  was  filled  with  a 
great  longing  for  goodness  and  truth. 

One  day,  so  runs  the  story,  the  lad  was  sent  by  his 


no  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

father  to  seek  for  some  horses  which  had  strayed 
from  the  pasture.  Evidently  in  those  early  and  more 
primitive  days,  life  and  customs  were  simpler  and  more 
homely,  for  there  seems  to  have  been  nothing  incon- 
gruous in  the  little  son  of  a  noble  being  entrusted 
with  a  task  which,  in  later  days,  would  have  fallen  to 
menials.  While  trying  to  find  the  horses,  Bartholomew 
encountered  a  venerable  and  saintly-looking  old  monk, 
who,  struck  by  the  eagerness  of  his  efforts,  asked  what 
he  was  looking  for.  Having  told  of  his  quest,  the 
little  lad  looked  earnestly  at  the  holy  man,  and  said, 
"Oh,  father,  there  is  another  thing  I  am  always  searching 
for,  and  that  is  how  to  master  book-learning."  Where- 
upon the  stranger  placed  his  hands  on  the  lad's  head 
and  prayed  that  God  might  enable  His  young  servant 
to  learn  to  read  ;  and  then,  with  words  of  kindly  en- 
couragement, he  told  Bartholomew  that  he  was  to  have 
no  fear,  but  to  rest  in  full  assurance  that  this  desire 
would  be  granted.  Happy  in  the  prospect  of  the  fulfil- 
ment of  his  ardent  longing,  and  his  heart  overflowing 
with  gratitude,  the  lad  prevailed  upon  the  stranger  to 
come  back  with  him  to  his  parents'  home,  where  the 
saintly  guest  was  made  welcome,  and  being  invited  to 
share  in  the  mid-day  meal,  he  did  so,  but  not  until 
he  had  offered  up  prayer  in  the  private  chapel  of  the 
boyar.  From  that  day  onward  all  Bartholomew's  diffi- 
culties, as  far  as  his  studies  were  concerned,  seemed  to 
vanish. 

In  those  days  religious  zeal  found  its  expression  in 
monasticism,  and  those  who,  for  some  reason  or  other, 
were  unable  to  take  the  vows,  felt  that  at  least  they 
could  carry  out  the  monastic  rules  with  regard  to 


SERGEI   RADONEJSKI  in 

fasting.  When  Bartholomew  was  about  twelve  years 
old  he  decided  to  devote  his  life  to  the  service  of  God, 
and  apparently  his  parents  put  no  obstacles  in  his  way, 
but  permitted  him  to  abstain  from  all  food  on  Wednes- 
days and  Fridays,  and  on  other  days  to  live  merely 
upon  bread  and  water.  In  spite  of  this  meagre  fare 
the  lad  grew  up  into  a  tall,  strong  young  man.  When 
eighteen  years  old  he  thought  that  the  moment  had 
arrived  for  him  to  carry  into  practice  those  ideas  of 
a  life  of  devotion  to  God  which  had  come  to  him  as  if 
by  inspiration,  but  which  were  very  different  from  those 
current  at  that  time  in  the  Russian  Church.  His 
intention  was  to  go  into  the  wilds,  there  to  spend  his 
time  in  communion  with  God. 

When,  however,  he  informed  his  parents  of  this 
plan,  they  asked  him  to  postpone  his  departure,  "for," 
said  they,  <c  we  are  old  and  in  delicate  health  ;  your 
married  brothers  think  only  of  their  own  families,  and 
it  is  upon  you  that  we  rely  to  tend  us  in  sickness  and 
distress."  So  Bartholomew,  who  always  put  first  things 
first,  readily  fell  in  with  their  wishes,  and  with  tender 
care  did  all  that  he  could  for  the  welfare  of  his 
aged  parents.  About  two  years  later,  very  shortly 
before  their  death,  they  entered  one  of  the  monastic 
establishments  into  which  both  sexes  were  admitted,  a 
common  practice  in  the  evil  days  which  followed  the 
Mongol  invasion.  Because  their  lives  were  in  per- 
petual jeopardy  the  people  had  begun  to  think  more 
seriously  about  death  and  the  life  to  come,  and,  accord- 
ing to  the  prevalent  ideas,  eternal  salvation  was  assured 
to  those  who  died  as  monks  or  nuns.  Therefore,  in 
order  to  prepare  themselves  for  heaven,  large  numbers 


ii2  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

took  monastic  vows.   Sometimes  princes  took  these  vows 
on  their  deathbeds,  as,  for  instance,  Alexander  Nevski. 
Freed  from  family  ties,  Bartholomew  was  now  able 
to  put  his  ideal  of  the  religious  life  into  practice.     It 
was  no  morbid  craving  for  solitude,  nor  any  spirit  of 
antagonism  to  the  society  of  man,  which  led  him  into 
the  wilderness,  but  a  clear  and  definite  perception  of 
what  was  needed  in  days  when   monasticism   had  de- 
generated into  selfishness,  self-indulgence  and   sloth. 
Three  hundred  years   earlier,  when   Christianity  was 
introduced  into  Russia,  the  Greek  form  of  monasticism, 
which  did  not  include  community  of  goods  or  life  in 
common,  was  adopted  there.     Yet,  even  in  those  early 
days,  three  Russians — Hilarion,  Antonius  and  Theodo- 
sius — broke  away  from  Byzantine  traditions  and  founded 
the  famous  Cave  Monastery  in  the  vicinity  of  Kiev, 
where  the  apostolic  principle  of  "all  things  in  common," 
coupled  with  the  severe  asceticism  of   the   Egyptian 
anchorites,   was  lived  out.      Gradually,   however,   the 
Greek  practice  reasserted  itself,  and,  by  Bartholomew's 
time,   only  monasteries  of  the   Greek   order   existed. 
There  were  many  monastic  establishments,  but  all  of 
them  resembled  settlements,  in  which  each  monk  lived 
in  his  separate  hut.     One  might  be  rich,  another  poor, 
each  looking  after  and  providing  for  himself.     All  that 
they  had  in  common  was  the  vow  of  strict  obedience 
to  the  abbot,  otherwise  they  led  a  purely  individualistic 
existence.      All  the  monasteries  were  urban,  and  the 
capital  of  every  principality  contained  a  monastery.     In 
villages,   again,    those   who    were    desirous    of   taking 
monastic  vows  built  themselves  little  huts  around  the 
church,    the    priest   acting   as    their   spiritual  adviser. 


SERGEI   RADONEJSKI  113 

Thus,  although  supposed  to  be  "  not  of  the  world," 
monks  still  remained  "  in  the  world,"  and  came  too 
much  under  its  influence. 

All  this  was  a  cause  of  grief  and  disappointment  to 
the  young  idealist,  who  decided  to  try  and  live  out 
his  own  conception  of  consecrated  life — a  life  of 
separation  from  the  world  and  its  temptations,  led, 
therefore,  far  from  the  dwellings  of  man.  In  order  to 
find  a  suitable  place  in  which  to  build  his  cell,  Bar- 
tholomew wandered  away  from  Radonej,  and  pene- 
trated deeper  and  ever  deeper  into  the  sombre  forest 
until  he  finally  decided  upon  a  spot  near  a  clear  spring 
of  water,  some  fifty-four  versts  from  Moscow.  The 
next  thing  to  do  was  to  ask  Prince  Andrei  Ivanovitch 
for  permission  to  make  a  clearing  in  the  forest  where 
he  could  build  himself  a  cell  and  a  tiny  chapel,  and 
also  prepare  enough  arable  land  for  his  support.  His 
request  having  been  granted,  Bartholomew  returned  to 
the  forest,  accompanied  by  a  carpenter  who  helped — and, 
indeed,  taught  him — to  fell  trees  and  to  erect  a  shelter 
against  rain  and  snow.  A  little  chapel,  also,  was  built, 
but,  before  services  could  be  held  in  it,  it  had  to  be 
consecrated.  For  a  consideration,  the  nearest  village 
priest  consented  to  perform  this  rite,  and  the  chapel 
was  dedicated  to  the  Holy  Trinity — the  Troitsa. 

Bartholomew's  idea  of  a  holy  life  did  not  necessarily 
include  loneliness,  therefore  he  invited  one  of  his 
brothers —  who  on  losing  his  wife  had  become  a  monk— 
to  join  him.  His  descriptions  of  the  blessedness  of 
a  life  spent  apart  from  the  world  and  in  communion 
with  God  evidently  appealed  to  the  imagination  of 
Stefan,  who  followed  the  young  enthusiast  into  the 


ii4  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

wilderness.  Very  soon,  however,  the  unaccustomed 
silence  began  to  pall  upon  him,  and  after  a  while  he 
frankly  admitted  his  inability  to  lead  a  hermit's  life, 
and  went  his  way. 

Thus,  when  only  twenty  years  of  age,  the  young 
saint  was  left  without  human  companionship — without 
even  the  sound  of  a  human  voice.  But  there  was 
music  in  the  air  when  the  storm  shook  the  great  trees, 
or  when  in  spring  the  birds  were  singing.  The  forest 
teemed  with  animal  life.  A  pack  of  wolves  would  race 
past  his  cell,  the  elk  stalk  right  up  to  it,  the  squirrel 
climb  on  the  roof,  the  fox  would  peep  through  the 
open  door,  and  the  hare  play  round  it.  There  were 
bears,  too,  but  they  ignored  the  harmless  intruder 
while  they  searched  for  honey  in  hollow  trunks  of 
trees  ;  the  young  cubs,  gambolling  about  among  the 
fallen  giants  of  the  forest,  would  every  now  and  then 
peer  curiously  in  at  the  lonely  man.  Beast  and  bird 
soon  grew  accustomed  to  the  tall  young  man  who 
never  tried  to  harm  them,  and  they  in  their  turn  did 
not  molest  him. 

One  day,  however,  a  large  bear,  unable  to  resist  the 
temptation,  entered  in  at  the  open  door,  and  man  and 
beast  gazed  steadily  at  one  another.  The  man  made 
the  first  move,  and  breaking  in  two  the  bread  which  he 
was  eating,  handed  one  half  of  it  to  his  furry  visitor. 
This  act  of  hospitality  established  a  friendly  relation- 
ship between  the  two,  and  for  a  whole  year  the  bear 
came  every  day  to  visit  his  friend,  who  never  forgot  to 
place  some  bread  on  the  trunk  of  a  tree  quite  close  to 
his  hut.  A  sad  time  came,  however,  when  there  was 
nothing  to  share,  and  for  two  days  the  bear  looked  in 


SERGEI   RADONEJSKI  115 

vain  for  his  dainty  morsel  and  had  to  go  away  surprised 
and  grieved.  Still  he  did  not  lose  heart,  but  came 
again  on  the  third  day,  and  this  time  he  was  not  dis- 
appointed, and  for  a  whole  year  he  never  missed  paying 
his  daily  call. 

Bartholomew  abstained  from  all  food  on  Wednesdays 
and  Fridays,  and  for  the  rest  of  the  week  subsisted  on 
water  from  the  spring  and  on  the  bread  which  some 
kindly  peasant  deposited  at  a  certain  spot.  But  occa- 
sionally this  supply  failed — hence  the  disappointment 
of  the  bear. 

Some  months  after  taking  up  his  abode  in  the  forest, 
Bartholomew  was  shriven  by  the  same  priest  who  had 
consecrated  the  church,  and  received  the  name  of 
Sergei.  For  some  time  he  continued  to  live  alone, 
spending  his  days  in  meditation  and  prayer,  in  reading 
the  Scriptures,  clearing  the  forest,  and  converting  waste 
land  into  fertile  soil,  on  which  he  grew  his  daily  supply 
of  nourishment.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that 
such  uninterrupted  loneliness  should  have  affected  his 
imagination,  and,  according  to  the  chronicler,  the  devil, 
attended  by  numerous  demons,  visited  him  on  more 
than  one  occasion.  One  night,  while  Sergei  was  read- 
ing the  Evening  Service  by  the  flicker  of  a  wooden 
taper,  a  company  of  demons,  dressed  like  Lithuanians 
(who  were  at  that  time  enemies  of  Russia),  crowded 
into  the  tiny  chapel,  and  gnashing  their  teeth  at  the 
lonely  watcher,  seemed  about  to  tear  down  the  little 
building,  when  Sergei  lifted  up  the  Cross,  and  in  the 
name  of  the  Holy  Trinity  commanded  them  to  depart 
—which  they  did. 

Two  years  had  passed  since  the  young  man  had  left 


n6  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

his  home  to  live  alone  with  God  in  the  wilderness,  and 
his  fame  had  reached  the  monks  of  a  certain  monastery, 
several  of  whom  were  not  satisfied  with  their  mode  of 
living,  and  were  delighted  to  hear  that  there  was 
one  man  brave  enough  to  strike  out  a  new  line,  which 
they  also  believed  to  be  the  right  one,  but  which  none 
of  them  had  been  strong  enough  to  take  up  of  them- 
selves. Some  of  these  monks  sent  a  deputation  to 
Sergei,  asking  him  to  allow  them  to  join  him  in  the 
wilderness.  Their  request  was  readily  granted,  and 
for  many  years  this  little  colony  consisted  of  thirteen 
men.  Although  newcomers  frequently  made  their 
appearance,  the  number  did  not  increase,  as  many 
found  the  solitude,  which  was  so  attractive  in  theory, 
impossible  to  endure  for  any  length  of  time. 

The  apostolic  number  was  retained  for  some  time, 
but  suddenly  there  came  a  change.  Reports  of  this 
simple  and  holy  life  reached  the  ears  of  the  Archi- 
mandrite of  Smolensk,  who,  forsaking  the  comforts  and 
luxuries  of  urban  life,  and  resigning  his  high  position, 
came  to  Sergei  as  a  humble  suppliant,  seeking  to  be 
admitted  into  this  brotherhood.  Many  of  the  Smolensk 
monks  followed  in  his  train,  and  thus  a  large  settle- 
ment sprang  up  in  the  forest.  The  Archimandrite  of 
Smolensk,  a  rich  man,  handed  over  most  of  his  trea- 
sures to  Sergei,  the  actual,  though  not  yet  consecrated, 
Abbot  of  the  community.  This  money  was  used  to 
erect  a  church  in  place  of  the  tiny  chapel,  which  had 
served  its  purpose  for  many  a  long  year.  Sergei's 
brother  also  returned,  bringing  with  him  his  twelve- 
year-old  son,  who,  some  years  later,  founded  another 
famous  monastery. 


SERGEI    RADONEJSK1  117 

Stefan's  presence,  however,  soon  gave  rise  to  diffi- 
culties, for  he  considered  that  as  his  brother  had  never 
been  consecrated  Abbot,  he,  as  the  elder  of  the  two, 
should  wield  supreme  authority.  Meek  and  lowly, 
and  free  from  all  self-seeking,  Sergei  did  not  oppose 
his  brother,  but  matters  came  to  a  crisis  when  one  day, 
during  service  in  church,  Stefan  loudly  upbraided  one 
of  the  community  for  speaking  of  Sergei  as  the  Abbot. 
Thereupon  the  gentle  Sergei  decided  that,  for  the  sake 
of  peace,  it  was  better  for  him  to  give  place  to  his 
brother.  So,  without  telling  anyone  of  his  decision, 
he  secretly  left  the  settlement  and  went  to  the  Abbot 
of  a  neighbouring  monastery,  who  was  a  friend  of  his, 
and  of  whom  he  asked  permission  to  build  himself  a 
cell  some  ten  versts  further  away  in  the  depth  of  the 
forest. 

This  request  was  granted,  and  once  again  the  holy 
man  found  himself  alone  in  the  wilderness — but  not 
for  long.  His  absence  was  noticed  almost  imme- 
diately, and,  rightly  assuming  that  their  beloved 
master  had  gone  to  visit  his  friend,  the  monks  soon 
discovered  his  whereabouts,  and  having  tracked  him 
down,  a  number  of  his  devoted  followers  begged  of 
him  to  allow  them  to  live  near  him.  Thus  history 
repeated  itself. 

The  Metropolitan  of  Moscow,  Alexei,  equally  great 
as  diplomat,  ecclesiastic  and  statesman,  was,  for  the 
time  being,  Regent  of  Russia  on  behalf  of  Dmitri 
Ivanovitch,  the  infant  grandson  of  Ivan  Kalita.  Alexei 
was  personally  acquainted  with  Sergei,  whom  to  know 
was  to  love,  and  he  now  used  his  influence  to  persuade 
Sergei  to  return  to  his  bereft  community,  for  Stefan 


n8  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

proved  himself  far  from  acceptable,  even  to  those 
monks  who  had  at  one  time  been  his  partisans  and 
who  had  remained  with  him  in  Troitsa.  Ever  humble 
and  tractable,  Sergei  consented  to  return  and  be 
consecrated  Abbot. 

The  Christlike  life  of  the  Abbot  of  the  Troitsa 
Monastery  could  not  remain  secret,  and  gradually  his 
fame  spread  all  over  northern  or  Muscovite  Russia  ; 
from  far  and  near  people  came  to  visit  him,  and  no 
one  went  away  disappointed.  The  sad  were  comforted, 
the  discontented  cheered.  Princes,  too,  who  were  at 
variance,  brought  their  quarrels  to  him  for  arbitration, 
and  he,  as  a  wise  peacemaker,  always  succeeded  in 
settling  the  question  so  as  to  avoid  bloodshed.  He 
upheld  the  cause  of  the  oppressed  and  fearlessly  re- 
buked the  wrong-doer,  but  with  such  wisdom  and 
gentleness  that  even  the  most  hardened  could  not 
withstand  him.  His  monks  found  him  invariably 
impartial,  fair  and  just,  never  listening  to  gossip  or 
slander.  Devoid  of  hypocrisy,  of  a  "  boundless 
humility  and  adorned  with  good  works,"  his  life  was 
as  a  shining  light  in  one  of  the  darkest  periods  of 
Russian  history. 

Realizing  how  unsatisfactory  the  monastic  life  was, 
Sergei,  whose  ideals  in  this  respect  were  shared  and 
upheld  by  the  Metropolitan,  now  decided  to  introduce 
the  communal  system.  The  Metropolitan  and  the 
Abbot,  both  wise  and  experienced  men,  knowing  how 
bitterly  such  an  innovation  would  be  resented  by  the 
monks,  sought  and  received  the  support  of  the 
Patriarch  of  Constantinople,  from  whom  they  obtained 
a  letter  addressed  to  Sergei,  suggesting  the  introduction 


SERGEI    RADONEJSKI  119 

of  the  Apostolic  practice.  This  suggestion,  coming 
from  the  Patriarch  himself,  disarmed  opposition,  and 
every  member  of  the  Troitsa  Monastery  handed  over 
his  possessions  for  the  benefit  of  the  community. 
Thus,  instead  of  each  man  growing  vegetables  for 
himself,  cooking  for  himself,  and  having  his  own 
belongings  and  keeping  them  for  his  own  use,  all  was 
now  devoted  to  the  common  good. 

A  refectory  was  built,  and  the  monks  no  longer 
laboured  for  themselves,  but  for  each  other  ;  and  as 
the  saintly  Abbot  never  exacted  of  others  a  task  which 
he  would  not  undertake  himself,  he,  too,  did  his  share 
of  boot-mending  and  working  in  field  and  garden. 

One  day  a  peasant  presented  himself  at  the  monas- 
tery. He  had  come  from  afar  to  see  Sergei,  of  whose 
holiness  and  piety  he  had  heard  so  much.  On  his 
arrival  he  inquired  for  the  Abbot,  and  was  told  that 
he  would  find  him  working  in  the  orchard.  The  only 
man  he  could  see  digging  there,  however,  was  a  monk 
in  a  tattered  habit.  Failing  to  see  the  Abbot,  the 
peasant  turned  and  repeated  his  inquiry  of  some  by- 
standers. From  these  he  found  out  to  his  astonish- 
ment that  the  old  man  in  the  shabby  garb  was  the 
great  Sergei,  whom  he  had  expected  to  find  amid  a 
crowd  of  priests  and  attendants,  enjoying  pomp  and 
dignity.  Yet,  though  disappointed  in  his  expectations, 
the  peasant  returned  to  Troitsa  at  a  later  date,  to 
remain  there  as  the  follower  of  the  humble  Abbot. 

The  humility  of  Sergei  was  manifested  in  various 
ways  :  many  a  thing  too  old  and  bad  for  the  monks, 
he  considered  quite  good  enough  for  himself.  In  the 
early  days  of  the  settlement  the  small  band  of  monks 


120  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

suffered  at  times  real  privations,  for  he  did  not  permit 
any  of  his  followers  to  beg  for  alms.  Thus  it  came 
about  that,  although  they  were  allowed  to  accept  gifts 
brought  to  the  monastery  by  devout  people,  on  one 
occasion  he  himself  was  without  food  for  several  days. 
At  last,  unable  to  endure  starvation  any  longer,  he 
offered  his  services  as  carpenter  to  a  monk  whom  he 
knew  to  possess  bread,  but  to  be  in  need  of  assistance 
for  the  building  of  a  little  lean-to  to  his  hut.  The 
Abbot's  offer  was  rather  ungraciously  accepted,  and, 
after  a  whole  day's  work,  he  received  a  few  mouldy 
loaves  in  return  for  his  labour. 

As  time  went  on  and  the  fame  of  Sergei  increased, 
princes  and  boyars  visited  him,  as  well  as  beggars,  the 
rich  gifts  of  the  former  being  expended  on  the  latter. 
His  gracious  hospitality  and  generosity  attracted  people 
from  far  and  wide  ;  no  stranger  ever  knocked  at  the 
portal  in  vain,  and  no  wayfarer  was  ever  denied  shelter. 
He  also  revived  the  ancient  practice  of  organizing 
relief  for  the  poor  and  needy,  and  around  his  monas- 
tery he  built  almshouses,  an  orphanage  and  a  hospital. 
During  this  period  of  general  insecurity  and  of  frequent 
recurrences  of  famine  and  plague,  the  misery  of  the 
poor  was  often  acute  ;  but  in  Sergei  they  found  a 
friend  ever  ready  to  help  them  in  their  hour  of  need. 
Thus  he  won  the  love  and  veneration  of  rich  and  poor 
alike. 

This  meek  and  lowly  servant  of  God  firmly  believed 
in  the  efficacy  of  prayer,  and  constantly  people  would 
ask  him  to  make  intercession  for  them.  So  great  was 
the  faith  of  Sergei  that  in  answer  to  his  prayers  many 
sick  were  healed.  In  fact,  the  belief  that  he  was 


SERGEI    RADONEJSKI  121 

endowed  with  supernatural  gifts  became  more  and 
more  prevalent,  and  the  numerous  incidents  quoted 
by  Epiphani  in  proof  of  it  were,  for  the  most  part, 
verified  by  the  Abbot's  disciples,  to  whom  the  smallest 
thing  affecting  their  master  was  of  the  keenest  interest. 

Remembering  what  a  loving  and  sympathetic  nature 
he  had,  we  are  hardly  surprised  to  hear  that  a  bond  of 
telepathy  should  have  united  him  with  his  most  intimate 
friends.  The  biographer  records,  for  example,  the 
following  experience  :  one  day,  during  dinner,  the 
Abbot  suddenly  rose  to  his  feet,  bent  his  head  in  silent 
prayer  and  then,  bowing  to  some  unseen  person,  said 
aloud,  "  Rejoice  thou,  also,  O  shepherd  of  the  flock 
of  Christ !  And  may  the  peace  of  God  abide  with 
thee."  No  one  for  the  moment  dared  to  ask  Sergei 
why  he  had  acted  in  this  manner,  for  the  brothers 
realized  that  their  Abbot  had  seen  a  vision  ;  but  after- 
wards, when  they  reverently  approached  him  on  the 
subject  of  his  strange  behaviour,  he  replied,  "  At  that 
moment  my  friend,  the  Bishop  Stefan,  of  Perm,  was 
passing  the  monastery,  and,  bowing  to  the  Holy  Trinity, 
he  bestowed  his  blessing  upon  us  humble  folk." 
Sergei  even  described  the  spot  where  all  this  had 
taken  place,  and  some  of  the  monks,  anxious  to  follow 
it  up,  ran  after  and  overtook  the  episcopal  party,  who 
confirmed  the  statement  that,  at  that  given  place  and 
moment,  the  Bishop  had  stopped  on  his  journey,  had 
offered  a  prayer,  and,  turning  towards  the  monastery, 
had  exclaimed,  c<  Peace  be  unto  thee,  my  spiritual 
brother  ! " 

The  monks  were  deeply  impressed,  and  in  com- 
memoration of  this  event  they  erected,  on  the  spot 


122  SOME    RUSSIAN   HEROES 

where  the  incident  had  occurred,  a  cross,  and,  later  on,  a 
small  chapel.  Also,  in  memory  of  the  vision,  it  has 
become  a  custom  in  the  Troitsa  monastery  for  a  bell  to 
be  rung  during  the  dinner  hour,  just  before  the  last 
course  is  served,  as  a  signal  to  the  monks  to  rise  while 
the  Abbot  says  the  following  prayer  :  "  O  Lord,  hear, 
we  beseech  Thee,  the  petitions  which  Thy  servants, 
Sergei  and  Stefan,  are  offering  up  on  our  behalf." 

It  is  quite  natural  that,  with  such  a  reputation  for 
saintliness,  the  gentle  Sergei  should  have  been  credited 
also  with  miracle-working,  and  that  even  during  his 
lifetime  the  people  should  have  spoken  of  him  as  "  that 
wonderful  old  man."  In  spite  of  his  humility,  he 
proved  himself  a  born  ruler  of  men  and  a  succesful 
organizer,  but  these  gifts  were  exercised  with  such 
wisdom,  courtesy  and  understanding  of  human  nature, 
that  he  was  rarely  obliged  to  assert  his  authority. 

The  Metropolitan,  Alexei,  realizing  how  great  and 
beneficial  would  be  the  influence  of  Sergei  over  the 
whole  of  Russia  were  he  to  follow  him  in  office,  decided 
to  appoint  him  his  successor.  For  this  purpose  he 
sent  for  the  Abbot,  to  whom  he  presented  a  golden 
vestment  and  cross.  Sergei,  quite  unconscious  of  what 
these  gifts  portended,  declined  them,  saying,  "  Ever 
since  childhood's  days  I  have  abstained  from  adorning 
myself  with  ornaments  of  gold,  and  as  1  began  my  days, 
so  1  mean  to  end  them."  The  Metropolitan  then  dis- 
closed his  intentions,  but  the  Abbot,  overwhelmed  with 
dread  at  the  thought  of  such  a  prospect,  replied, 
<c  Vladyika,  promise  me  not  to  do  this,  or  else  I  shall 
flee  into  the  depths  of  the  forest  and  hide  myself  where 
no  man  shall  find  me." 


SERGEI    RADONEJSKI  123 

Lust  of  power,  desire  for  popularity  and  fame  were 
foreign  to  this  lowly  servant  of  a  lowly  Master  ;  yet 
there  were  times  when  he  found  himself  constrained  to 
come  forward  and  take  his  share  in  political  matters, 
using  his  great  influence  for  the  benefit  of  the  father- 
land. On  one  of  these  occasions  he  sent  a  letter  to 
Dmitri,  Grand  Duke  of  Moscow,  urging  upon  him  the 
necessity  of  going  out  to  face  the  Tatar  army  which 
was  threatening  invasion,  and  it  was  this  letter  which 
led  the  wavering  princes,  who  had  all  gathered  round 
Dmitri  to  discuss  the  position  of  affairs,  to  decide  on 
marching  south  to  the  Don,  where  they  won  the 
famous  victory  of  Kulikovo  in  1370. 

Within  the  walls  of  his  monastery  Sergei  was  undis- 
puted head,  requiring  implicit  obedience  from  the 
members  of  the  community  ;  yet  every  rule  was 
enforced  by  means  of  gentle  persuasion  or  mild 
reproof.  He  desired  his  monks  to  devote  the  time 
spent  in  their  cells  to  studying  the  Word  of  God  or  to 
meditation  and  prayer,  and,  in  order  to  be  sure  that  his 
wishes  were  carried  out,  he  would  sometimes  look  in 
through  the  window  of  a  cell,  and  if  he  saw  the  inmate 
occupied  in  the  right  way,  would  give  a  gentle  tap  on 
the  pane,  pronounce  a  blessing,  and  pass  on.  If,  on 
the  other  hand,  he  found  several  of  the  brothers 
together  in  one  cell,  his  tap  would  be  followed  by  a 
request  that  the  culprits  would  come  and  see  him  next 
day  at  a  certain  hour.  At  such  an  interview  the  faith- 
ful shepherd  would  try  to  convince  the  listeners  of  the 
unworthiness  of  gossip  and  the  unfruitfulness  of  idle 
talk. 

The  hours  not  devoted  to  prayer  were  spent  by  the 


i24  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

monks  in  such  handiwork  as  was  necessary  to  provide 
for  the  needs  of  the  community  and  in  healthy  out-of- 
door  work,  such  as  clearing  the  forest,  working  in  the 
fields,  orchard  or  kitchen  garden.  The  wilderness  into 
which  the  quiet  Bartholomew  had  withdrawn  himself 
fifty-five  years  previously  had  completely  changed,  and 
had  become  a  fruitful  oasis.  The  redeemed  soil  of  the 
forest  had  been  transformed  into  fields  and  meadows. 

People  from  all  parts  and  of  all  kinds  flocked  to  the 
monastery,  peasants  being  especially  desirous  of  living 
under  its  protection.  Sergei  did  nothing  to  prevent 
this,  although  he  maintained  his  ideal  to  the  extent  of 
not  allowing  the  world  to  come  too  near  ;  yet,  in  course 
of  time,  a  large  settlement  grew  up  in  the  vicinity,  and 
Troitsa  became  a  famous  centre,  to  which  visitors  of 
every  rank,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  gathered, 
and  no  one  passed  it  by  without  enjoying  the  hospi- 
tality of  the  monastery,  or  receiving  the  Abbot's 
blessing.  During  Sergei's  lifetime  the  Troitsa  Lavra, 
as  it  came  to  be  known,  did  not  possess  other  immov- 
able property  than  the  land  which  had  been  cleared  and 
tilled  by  the  monks  ;  but  many  gifts  were  bestowed 
upon  it,  which  were  expended  in  securing  the  barest 
necessaries  of  life  for  the  inmates,  in  beautifying  the 
large  church  erected  beside  the  original  chapel,  and  in 
providing  for  the  poor  and  needy.  After  many  years 
the  monastery  was  enriched  by  gifts  of  land,  villages, 
fisheries,  etc.,  so  that  in  time  it  became  one  of  the 
wealthiest  monasteries  of  the  empire.  Ever  since  the 
days  of  its  founder  it  held  the  first  place  among 
Russian  monasteries — hence  its  name  of  Lavra.  It 
was  not  the  only  monastic  establishment  founded  by 


SERGEI   RADONEJSKI  125 

Sergei  ;  among  several  others,  he  also  built  one  which 
became  the  central  school  for  ikon  painting.  Incon- 
gruously enough,  the  most  cherished  possession  which 
its  church  contained  was  the  celebrated  ikon  of  Our 
Lord,  the  "  ikon  not  made  with  hands,'*  as  it  was 
called. 

In  1391  Sergei  died,  in  his  seventy-eighth  year, 
fifty-five  years  after  he  had  taken  up  his  abode  in  the 
sombre  forest  in  his  quest  for  a  holy  and  consecrated 
life.  Deep  and  widespread  was  the  sorrow  when  this 
greatly  beloved  man  "  transferred  his  abode  to  the 
other  world."  In  those  days  his  pure,  strong  and  self- 
less personality  shone  forth,  not  with  the  dazzling  glitter 
of  a  cold,  artificial  light,  but  with  the  brightness  of  the 
sun  which  radiates  warmth  as  well  as  light.  Just  as 
"  a  city  that  is  set  on  a  hill  cannot  be  hid,"  so  it  was 
impossible  for  him  to  keep  his  light  concealed,  and 
however  far  he  might  penetrate  into  the  forest,  it  could 
not  but  shine  to  the  glory  of  God. 

The  Troitsa  Lavra  formed  the  nucleus  of  a  network 
of  new  monasteries.  The  experience  of  Sergei  repeated 
itself,  for  many  of  his  followers  would  leave  the 
brotherhood  in  order  to  seek  solitude  in  some  far 
away  spot,  which  in  its  turn  would  inevitably  become 
the  nucleus  of  a  new  settlement  and  religious  centre. 
In  this  way  forty  monasteries  were  founded  by  followers 
of  Sergei,  and,  from  these  forty,  fifty  more  were 
developed  as  branch  colonies. 

Thus  was  fulfilled  the  interpretation  of  the  vision  in 
which  the  saintly  Abbot  had  seen  a  large  flock  of  birds 
flying  around  him,  for  all  over  Muscovite  Russia  his 
spiritual  descendants  were  carrying  on  his  work. 


126 


SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 


In  1441,  fifty  years  after  his  death,  Sergei  was 
canonized  by  the  Church,  and  twenty-two  years  later  a 
church  was  built  in  his  honour  and  dedicated  to  his 
name.  His  biographer,  Epiphani,  waxes  eloquent  on 
the  subject  of  his  goodness,  kindness  and  generosity, 
and,  in  describing  him,  enumerates  just  those  virtues 
which  go  to  the  making  of  a  truly  Christian  character. 
There  is  no  weakness  or  sentimentality  in  this  healthy 
and  virile  Russian  Saint,  of  whom  we  may  aptly  say 
that  he  fulfils  the  qualifications  mentioned  in  the 
Beatitudes  :  "  Blessed  are  the  Poor  in  Spirit  .  .  . 
Blessed  are  the  Meek  .  .  .  Blessed  are  the  Pure  in 
Heart  ,  .  Blessed  are  the  Peacemakers." 


CLERGY    AND   LAITY   AT    MEAL. 
From  a  fourteenth  century  MS. 


CHAPTER   IX 


IVAN    THE    TERRIBLE    AND    THE    METROPOLITAN 
PHILIP 

UCH  had  happened 
since  the  days  when 
Dmitri  Donskoi  had 
gathered  the  princes 
of  Russia  for  the 
first  time  round  his 
banner. 

No  longer  were 
the  rulers  of  Mos- 
cow Grand  Dukes, 
but  "Rulers  of  All 
Russia,"  with  the 
courtesy  title  of  Tzar; 
for,  favoured  by  the  Tatar  Khans,  and  supported  by 
the  Church,  Muscovy  had  become  a  great  power. 

Thus,  when  the  Tatar  domination  had  come  to  an 
end,  chiefly  through  internal  disintegration,  the  rulers 
of  Muscovy  stepped  into  the  place  vacated  by  the 
Khans,  whose  spirit  of  despotism  they  adopted  as  their 
own. 

Although  to  all  appearances  Muscovy  had  become  a 

mighty  empire,  yet  at  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth 

127 


CHURCH   OF   VASSILI   BLAJENYI, 
IS55-I560- 


128  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

century  Russia  was,  in  her  turn,  in  a  state  of  general 
disintegration. 

Foreign  visitors  to  Russia  were  deeply  impressed  by 
the  barbarism  of  her  regime,  and  Giles  Fletcher,  the 
English  ambassador,  in  his  exhaustive  treatise  on  the 
Russian  Commonwealth,  thus  describes  the  condition 
in  Muscovy,  of  ruler  and  ruled : 

"The  state  and  forme  of  their  government  is 
plaine  tyrannicall,  as  applying  all  to  the  behoffe  of 
the  prince,  and  that  after  a  most  open  and  bar- 
barous manner :  as  may  appeare  by  the  sophismata 
or  secretes  of  their  government,  as  well  for  the 
keeping  of  the  nobilitie  and  commons  in  an  under 
proportion,  and  for  uneven  balance  in  their  severall 
degrees,  as  also  in  their  impositions  and  exactions, 
wherein  they  exceede  all  just  measure,  without 
any  regard  of  nobilitie  or  people." 

The  people  lived  in  the  midst  of  such  lawlessness, 
danger  and  hardship,  that  progress  was  impossible,  and 
Fletcher  was  justified  in  writing  that — 

" .  .  .  It  makes  the  people  (though  otherwise 
hardened  to  beare  any  toile)  to  give  themselves 
much  to  idleness  and  drinking :  as  passing  for  no 
more  than  from  hand  to  mouth.  .  .  ." 

The  inhabitants  of  this  vast  realm  lived,  as  they 
had  done  for  centuries,  in  self-contained  communities, 
having  little  or  no  communication  with  each  other  or 
with  the  central  government,  whose  local  representa- 
tives held  absolute  sway  over  them.  Fletcher  wrote — 

"And  for  the  dukes  that  are  appointed  to  govern 
under  them,  they  are  but  men  of  titular  dignitie, 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE 


129 


of  no  power,  authoritie,  nor  credit,  save  that  which 
they  have  out  of  the  office  for  the  time  they  enjoy 
it.  Which  doth  purchase  them  no  favour,  but 
rather  hatred  of  the  people,  for  as  much  as  they 
see  that  they  are  set  over  them,  not  so  much  for 
any  care  to  doo  them  right  and  justice,  as  to  keepe 
them  under  in  a  miserable  subjection  and  to  take 
the  fliece  from  them,  not  once  in  the  yeare  (as 
the  owner  from  his  sheepe),  but  to  poule  and 
clip  them  all  the  yeare  long." 

It  mattered  very  little  to  the  people  to  whom  they 
paid  taxes,  whether  to  the  Khan  or  to  the  Tzar — the 
same  thing  always  happened : 

"The  common  people,  they  are  robbed  con- 
tinually both  of  their  harts  and  money  (besides 
other  means),  sometimes  by  pretence  of  some 
service  to  be  done  for  the  common  defence, 
sometimes  without  any  shewe  at  all  of  any  neces- 
sitie  of  commonwealth  or  prince.  So  that  there 
is  no  meanes,  either  for  nobilitie  or  people,  to 
attempt  any  innovation,  so  long  as  the  militarie 
forces  of  the  emperour  hold  themselves  fast  and 
sure  unto  him  and  to  the  present  state.  Which 
needes  they  must  doo,  beyng  of  the  qualitie  of 
souldiers,  and  enjoying  withall  that  free  libertie  of 
wronging  and  spoiling  of  the  commons  at  their 
pleasure,  which  is  permitted  them  of  purpose,  and 
to  make  them  have  a  liking  of  the  present  state. 

"  The  great  oppression  over  the  poore  commons, 
maketh  them  to  have  no  courage  in  following 
their  trades :  for  that  the  more  they  have  the 
more  danger  they  are  in,  not  only  of  their  goods 
but  of  their  lives  also.  And  if  they  have  anything, 
they  conceale  it  all  they  can,  sometimes  conveying 
it  into  monasteries,  sometimes  hiding  it  under  the 
K 


130  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

ground  and  in  woods,  as  men  are  woont  to  doo 
where  they  are  in  feare  of  forreine  invasion.  In 
so  much  that  many  times  you  shall  see  them 
afraid  to  be  knowen  to  any  boiaren  or  gentleman 
of  such  commodities,  as  they  have  to  sell.  .  .  . 
Fear  made  the  people  servile.  .  .  .  This  may  truly 
be  said  of  the  conditions  of  the  commons  and 
vulgar  sort  of  people,  that  there  is  no  servant  nor 
bond  slave  more  awed  by  his  maister  nor  kept 
downe  in  a  more  servile  subjection,  then  the  poor 
people  are,  and  that  universally,  not  only  by  the 
Emperour,  but  by  his  nobilitie,  chief  officers  and 
souldiers.  So  that  when  a  poor  mousik  meeteth 
with  any  of  them  upon  the  high  way,  he  must 
turne  himselfe  about  as  not  daring  to  looke  him 
in  the  face,  and  fall  down  with  knocking  of  his 
head  to  the  very  ground.  .  .  ." 

The  majority  of  the  peasants,  living  in  scattered 
villages  on  the  outskirts  of  the  sombre  forests,  were  in 
perpetual  jeopardy  from  raids  ;  so  much  so,  that  on 
every  church  tower  a  look-out  was  kept,  and  the 
moment  the  watchman  observed  a  cloud  of  dust  in  the 
distance,  the  alarm-bell  was  sounded.  Whereupon 
everybody  fled  into  the  forest,  the  men  driving  the 
cattle  before  them.  When,  therefore,  the  raiders — 
whether  Tatars  or  robbers — appeared  upon  the  scene, 
they  found  merely  the  empty  shell.  If  they  did  burn 
the  houses  down — well,  there  was  enough  timber  close 
at  hand  to  rebuild  them.  Such  a  perpetual  struggle 
for  life,  such  a  state  of  insecurity  and  of  living  from 
hand  to  mouth,  does  not  tend  to  elevate,  and  small 
wonder  that  foreigners  found  the  people  of  Russia 
"brutish."  There  was  nothing  to  raise  them  —  no 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  131 

education,  no  strong  religious  feeling,  for  their  religion 
was  purely  formal. 

"  They  serve  God  with  crosses,"  wrote  Fletcher, 
u  after  a  crosse  and  vaine  manner,  not  understand- 
ing what  the  crosse  of  Christ  is,  nor  the  power  of 
it.  ...  All  this  mischief  commeth  from  the  clergie, 
who  being  ignorant  and  godless  themselues,  are 
very  warie  to  keepe  the  people  likewise  in  their 
ignorance  and  blindnessc,for  their  living  and  bellies 
sake  :  partly  also  from  the  manner  of  government 
settled  among  them  :  which  the  emperours  (whom 
it  specially  behoveth)  list  not  to  haue  chaunged  by 
any  innovation,  but  to  retaine  that  religion,  that 
best  agreeth  with  it." 

Russia  had  no  Renaissance,  no  Reformation,  no  great 
spiritual  movement  to  carry  the  nation  out  of  the  dark- 
ness of  medieval  days  into  the  light  of  knowledge.  To 
the  English  onlooker  who  had  just  experienced  the 
effects  of  the  Reformation  in  his  own  country,  the 
reason  for  this  darkness  was — 

"  ignorance  of  the  holy  scriptures,  which  notwith- 
standing they  have  in  the  Polonian  tongue  (that  is 
all  one  with  theirs,  some  few  wordes  excepted),  yet 
f  ewe  of  them  read  them  with  that  godly  care  which 
they  ought  to  doo  :  neither  haue  they  (if  they 
would)  bookes  sufficient  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testament  for  the  common  people,  but  of  their 
leiturgie  onely,  or  booke  of  common  service, 
whereof  there  are  great  numbers.  .  .  .  Which 
notwithstanding  it  is  not  to  be  doubted,  but  that 
having  the  word  of  God  in  some  sort  (though 
without  the  ordinarie  meanes  to  attaine  to  a  true 
sense  and  understanding  of  it)  God  hath  also  his 
number  among  them." 


132  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

The  marvel  is  that  there  were  still  people,  even  in 
that  sad  country,  who  were  good  and  true  ;  and  in 
spite  of  the  sombre  colours  in  which  Fletcher  depicts 
conditions  in  Muscovy,  he  sees  possibilities  for  the 
future  : 

"  As  may  partly  appeare  by  that  which  a  Russe 
at  Mosko  said  in  secret  to  one  of  my  servants, 
speaking  against  their  images  and  other  supersti- 
tions :  That  God  hath  given  unto  England  light 
to-day,  and  might  give  it  to-morrow  (if  he  pleased) 
to  them.  .  .  ." 

The  observant  ambassador  admits  that  the  stuff  of 
which  the  Russians  were  made  was  good — it  was  the 
conditions  that  needed  changing  ;  for,  writes  he — 

<c  As  touching  their  behaviour  and  quality  other- 
wise, they  are  of  reasonable  capacities,  if  they  had 
those  means  that  some  other  nations  have  to  traine 
up  their  wittes  in  good  nurture  and  learning. .  . .  For 
as  themselves  are  verie  hardlie  and  cruellie  dealt 
withall  by  their  chiefe  magistrates  and  other  supe- 
riours  so  are  they  as  cruell  one  against  an  other, 
specially  over  their  inferiours  and  such  as  are  under 
them.  So  that  the  basest  and  wretchedest  Chris- 
tianoe  (as  they  call  him)  that  stoupeth  and  crouch- 
eth  like  a  dogge  to  the  gentleman,  and  licketh  up 
the  dust  that  lieth  at  his  feete,  is  an  intolerable 
tyrant  where  he  hath  the  advantage.  By  this  meanes 
the  whole  countrie  is  filled  with  rapine  and  murder. 
They  make  no  account  .of  the  life  of  a  man.  You 
shall  have  a  man  robbed  sometime  in  the  verystreats 
of  their  townes,  if  hee  goe  late  in  the  evening,  and 
yet  no  man  to  come  forth  out  of  his  doores  to  rescue 
him,  though  hee  heare  him  crie  out.  I  will  not 
speake  of  the  straungenesse  of  the  murders  and 
other  cruelties  committed  among  them,  that  would 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  133 

scarsly  bee  beleeved  to  bee  done  among  men, 
specially  such  as  professe  themselves  Christians." 

That  ordinary  citizens  were  at  least  restrained  in  their 
dealings  with  their  neighbours  was  due  to  fear  of 
punishment,  so  cruelly  meted  out,  for— 

"  When  any  is  taken  for  a  matter  of  crime  (as 
treasor,  murder,  thefte)  the  manner  of  examination 
in  such  cases  is  all  by  torture,  as  scourging  with 
whips  made  of  sinowes  or  whitleather  as  bigge  as  a 
mans  ringer,  which  giveth  a  sore  lash  and  entreth 
into  the  flesh,  or  by  tying  to  a  spit  and  resting  at 
the  fire;  sometimes  by  breaking  and  wresting  one  of 
their  ribbes  with  a  payre  of  hote  tongues,  or  cutting 
the  flesh  under  the  navies,  and  such  like.  .  .  ." 

Cruelty  and  brutality  were  the  order  of  the  day,  and 
in  the  administration  of  the  criminal  law  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  recourse  was  had  to  tortures  so  horrible  that 
they  can  only  be  compared  to  those  of  the  Inquisition. 

"Their  capitall  punishments  are  hanging,  hed- 
ding,  knocking  on  the  head,  drowning,  putting 
under  the  yse,  setting  on  a  stake  and  such  like. 
But,  for  the  most  part,  the  prisoners  that  are  con- 
demned in  summer  are  kept  for  the  winter,  to  be 
knockt  on  the  head  and  put  under  the  yse." 

Not  so  the  nobles— 

"  for  theft  and  murder  upon  a  poore  mousick  by 
one  of  nobilitie,  are  (not)  lightly  punished,  nor  yet 
is  hee  called  to  any  account  for  it.  Their  reason 
is,  because  they  are  accounted  their  kolophey  or 
bondslaves.  If  by  some  gentleman  souldier,  a 
murder  or  theft  be  committed,  peradventure  he  shal 
be  imprisoned  at  the  emperours  pleasure.  If  the 


134  SOME    RUSSIAN   HEROES 

manner  of  the  fact  be  verie  notorious,  he  is  whipped 
perchance,  and  this  is  commonly  all  the  punishment 
that  is  inflicted  upon  them.  If  a  man  kill  his  owne 
servant,  little  or  nothing  is  said  unto  him,  for  the 
same  reason  :  because  hee  is  accounted  to  be  his 
kolophey  or  bondslave,  and  so  to  have  right  over 
his  verie  head.  The  most  is  some  small  mulct  to 
the  emperour  if  the  partie  be  rich  :  and  so  the 
quarell  is  made  rather  against  the  purse  then  against 
the  injustice.  .  .  ." 

In  warfare,  however,  all  restraint  fell  away — the 
soldiers  exhibited  that  same  ferocity  which  so  horrified 
the  world  in  Ivan  the  Terrible. 

Against  such  a  sombre  background  the  sinister  figure 
of  Ivan  the  Terrible  does  not  appear  quite  so  abnormal 
as  it  would  have  seemed  had  he  lived  in  more  en- 
lightened days.  He  was,  after  all,  but  a  product  of  his 
time — merely  an  exaggerated  type  of  the  Russian  of 
that  period  of  chaos.  His  position  as  Tsar  enabled 
him  to  dispense  with  every  vestige  of  restraint,  and 
set  him  free  to  follow  out  every  evil  impulse  and  every 
perverted  instinct. 

Was  it  not  symbolical  of  the  character  of  Ivan's  reign 
that  the  period  of  his  birth  was  marked  by  a  season  of 
continual  thunderstorms  ?  That  at  the  moment  of  his 
birth  the  darkened  sky  was  illuminated  by  a  lurid  light, 
and,  even  as  he  was  drawing  his  first  breath,  lightning 
flashed  through  the  heavens,  and  deafening  thunder- 
claps rent  the  air  ?  When  the  news  of  the  birth  of  the 
prince  reached  the  ears  of  the  superstitious  Muscovites, 
they  exclaimed  in  pious  submission,  "  God  has  sent  a 
chastening  rod  into  our  midst  !  "  The  fear  occasioned 
at  this  time  by  the  phenomena  of  nature  was  but  a 


IVAlf  THE   TERRIBLE  135 

faint  foretaste  of  the  terror  which  was  to  seize  many  a 
brave  heart  during  the  reign  of  that  same  infant  grown 
to  manhood. 

After  a  long  and  uneventful  reign  of  twenty-eight 
years,  the  Tsar  Vassili  III  had  died,  having  appointed 
his  infant  son  Ivan,  a  boy  only  three  years  old,  his 
successor.  The  child's  mother,  Helen,  was  proclaimed 
Regent  in  accordance  with  the  old  Slavonic  law  whereby 
the  widow  reigns  on  behalf  of  a  minor.  It  was,  how- 
ever, not  she,  but  her  lover,  Ivan  Ovtchina-Telepna- 
Obolenski,  who  became  the  virtual  ruler  of  Russia  ; 
and  well  matched  were  these  two,  who  now  wielded 
unlimited  power.  Ruthless  and  unrestrained  by  any 
scruples,  he  ruled  in  her  name,  committing  atrocities 
such  as  had  hitherto  been  unheard  of  in  Muscovy, 
and  in  all  this  he  was  countenanced  by  the  widow 
Regent. 

Under  this  regime  life  became  unbearable  for  the 
boyars,  and,  driven  to  extremes,  they  caused  the  Regent 
to  be  poisoned,  while  they  flung  her  lover  into  a 
dungeon,  where  he  was  starved  to  death. 

While  the  little  Tsar  was  passing  through  the  years 
of  childhood  amid  the  intrigues  and  cabals  of  princes 
and  boyars,  he  received  no  fit  training,  and  was  not 
seldom  neglected  altogether,  being  exposed  even  to 
gratuitous  suffering  at  the  hands  of  the  new  Regent, 
Prince  Ivan  Shuiski.  The  nervous,  highly  imaginative 
boy  noticed  that,  although  his  personal  welfare  and 
wishes  seemed  of  no  account  to  the  Regent  and  the 
Council  of  the  Boyars,  yet  everything  was  done 
ostensibly  in  his  name,  and  gradually  he  found  the 
solution  to  this  otherwise  inexplicable  riddle,  in  his 


136  SOME    RUSSIAN   HEROES 

official  position,  in  his  title  of  "  Ruler  of  All  Russia." 
He  began  to  brood  over  the  apparent  contradictions  of 
his  condition,  and  there  was  implanted  in  his  heart  the 
seed  of  hatred  against  the  boyars  which  was  to  bring 
forth  terrible  fruit  in  after  years. 

Shuiski  was  not  left  very  long  in  the  enjoyment  of 
the  influential  position  of  Regent.  The  Metropolitan 
whom  he  had  raised  to  that  dignity  turned  against  him 
and  threw  all  the  weight  of  his  position  on  the  side  of 
Prince  Byelski,  one  of  the  boyars  left  to  languish  in 
prison  during  Helen's  regency.  The  Metropolitan's 
intrigue  led  to  Shuiski's  deposition,  and  Byelski's 
accession  to  power.  He  ruled  wisely  and  well,  but 
only  two  years  later  was  overthrown  by  Shuiski,  who 
caused  his  rival  to  be  strangled.  The  time-serving 
Metropolitan  was  in  his  turn  also  deposed,  and 
Makarius,  a  man  endowed  with  great  gifts,  but  utterly 
lacking  in  principle,  was  appointed.  He  became  one 
of  the  most  famous  Metropolitans  of  Muscovy,  and  the 
autocratic  power  gained  through  him  much  of  its 
enormous  prestige. 

Prince  Ivan  Shuiski's  enjoyment  of  his  position  was 
once  more  cut  short,  this  time  by  illness.  He  handed 
over  the  reins  of  government  to  his  brother  Andrew, 
but  the  power  was  soon  wrested  from  his  family  by 
Helen's  brothers,  the  Glinskis,  to  whom  the  Metro- 
politan Makarius  had  transferred  his  allegiance. 
Andrew  Shuiski  fell  a  victim  to  the  ferocity  of  the 
young  Tsar  Ivan,  who  had  him  torn  to  pieces  by  a 
pack  of  hounds.  This  outrage  may  have  been  suggested 
by  the  Tsar's  uncles,  but  was  evidently  carried  out 
with  alacrity  by  the  malicious  boy  who  bore  the  proud 


IVAN    THE   TERRIBLE  137 

title  of  Ruler  of  All  Russia,  and  who  became  notorious 
in  the  history  of  mankind  as  the  personification  of 
ferocity,  cruelty  and  lasciviousness. 

Can  this  be  wondered  at,  for  was  he  not  the  son  of 
a  mother  whom  the  people  called  that  "  Drinker  of 
Blood  "  ?  Had  he  not  her  blood  running  in  his  veins? 
And  what  an  example  had  been  set  him,  first  by  his 
mother's  lover,  and  then  by  his  guardian,  Prince 
Shuiski,  of  whose  unbridled  selfishness  and  utter 
callousness  to  the  feelings  of  others  Ivan  complained 
in  a  letter  written  many  years  later  !  Was  not  the  very 
atmosphere  of  the  Kremlin  saturated  with  intrigue  and 
reeking  with  blood  ?  No  good  plant  could  come  forth 
from  such  soil — what  could  it  produce  but  a  poisonous 
fungus  whose  odour  was  deadly,  and  in  whose  vicinity 
nothing  healthy  could  flourish  ? 

Even  during  the  days  of  his  childhood  Ivan 
delighted  in  causing  suffering,  but  at  that  time  his 
victims  were  limited  to  young  animals,  which  he  would 
fling  to  the  ground  from  a  balcony  and  then  enjoy 
watching  their  agony.  Such  entertainment,  however, 
soon  became  tame,  and  he  began  to  crave  for  more 
exciting  diversions.  Thus,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  the 
young  Tsar,  surrounded  by  playmates  whom  he  had 
selected,  would  ride  helter-skelter  through  a  crowd  of 
harmless  citizens.  Led  by  Ivan,  the  cavalcade  would 
ride  down  the  unsuspecting  people,  and  numbers  of 
wounded  and  dead  would  mark  the  track  of  the  future 
ruler  of  Russia.  No  protest  was  made  by  his  guardian 
against  this  barbarous  pastime.  On  the  contrary, 
his  uncles  and  the  fulsome  flatterers  who  crowded 
round  him  praised  him  for  his  boldness.  <c  What  a 


138  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

magnificent  horseman  !  "  they  exclaimed.  "  What  a 
brave  and  bold  Tsar  he  will  make  !  " 

Such  were  the  surroundings  amid  which  Ivan  passed 
his  youth.  No  regular  occupation  was  provided  for 
him,  but,  left  entirely  to  his  own  devices,  he  was  at 
liberty  to  follow  every  whim  which  crossed  his  mind. 
No  one  impressed  upon  him  the  responsibilities  and 
obligations  of  his  position,  and  nothing  was  done  to 
prevent  this  highly-strung,  imaginative  and  clever  boy 
from  giving  free  rein  to  his  desires  and  yielding  to 
every  impulse.  It  was  as  much  as  a  man's  life  was 
worth  to  interrupt  the  Tsar  with  business  of  the  State 
when  he  happened  to  be  amusing  himself.  For  such 
imprudence  more  than  one  man  was  strangled  at  the 
boy's  command. 

According  to  Russian  custom,  the  Tsar  had  been 
taught  to  read,  the  Bible  being  the  text-book. 
Unfortunately,  the  only  things  that  caught  his  eye 
and  appealed  to  his  imagination  were  the  accounts  of 
such  rulers  as  Sennacherib  and  Nebuchadnezzar.  They 
became  his  heroes  and  models  of  kingship,  and  he 
looked  forward  to  the  time  when  he,  too,  would  have 
unlimited  power  and  authority,  and  astonish  the  world 
with  his  display  of  might.  The  young  Tsar  read  many 
books,  historical  as  well  as  theological,  with  the  result 
that  his  immature  mind  was  full  of  an  undigested  mass 
of  facts  which,  in  after  life,  he  drew  upon  at  random 
when  engaged  in  controversy.  Early  in  life  the 
youthful  Ivan  had  shown  signs  of  devout-mindedness, 
which,  however,  in  no  way  acted  as  a  restraint  upon 
his  desires,  and  from  his  fifteenth  to  his  seventeenth 
year  he  spent  his  time  alternately  in  riotous  living  with 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  139 

his  wild  companions  and  in  frequenting  monasteries. 
In  fact,  after  a  while,  this  habit  of  visiting  monasteries 
and  shrines  became  an  obsession,  and  only  fostered  his 
superstitions. 

On  reaching  his  seventeenth  year  Ivan  came  of  age, 
but  not  satisfied  with  merely  taking  over  the  rudder  of 
the  State  as  his  forebears  had  done,  he  decided  to  be 
crowned  in  solemn  and  impressive  pomp.  He  was 
thus  the  first  Russian  ruler  to  have  a  coronation 
ceremony  ;  he  loved  pomp  and  show,  and  such  an 
opportunity  for  display,  for  magnificent  staging  and  for 
dazzling  the  eye  of  the  crowd  was  too  good  to  be  lost. 

In  the  Metropolitan  Makarius  the  young  Tsar  found 
a  ready  supporter  of  his  ambitious  claims.  After  the 
Coronation,  the  next  matter  to  be  attended  to  was  the 
Tsar's  marriage,  and,  in  accordance  with  precedent  and 
in  order  to  facilitate  his  choice  of  a  wife,  all  the  most 
beautiful  girls  of  noble  birth  and  of  a  marriageable  age 
were  sent  to  the  capital  for  his  inspection.  His  choice 
fell  on  Anastasia  Sacharjin-Romanoff;  but  although 
Ivan  seems  to  have  been  greatly  attached  to  his  wife, 
his  marriage  did  not  in  any  way  act  as  a  deterrent  to 
his  voluptuous  desires,  and  even  after  his  official 
assumption  of  power  he  made  no  attempt  to  alter  his 
irresponsible  manner  of  life.  In  this  he  was  encouraged 
by  his  mother's  relations,  the  Glinskis,  who  had  been 
wielding  the  actual  power  and  were  anxious  that  this 
state  of  affairs,  so  profitable  to  themselves,  should  con- 
tinue. At  the  same  time  other  favourites  of  the  Tsar 
ruled  without  let  or  hindrance  in  various  towns  and  dis- 
tricts, mercilessly  exploiting  or  robbing  the  inhabitants. 

Those  of  Pskov,  driven  to  despair  by  the  tyranny  to 


1 4o  SOME    RUSSIAN    HEROES 

which  they  had  been  exposed  and  hoping  to  find  redress 
for  their  wrongs,  sent  two  envoys  to  the  Tsar  to  plead 
their  cause  before  him.  As  ill-luck  willed  it,  the  envoys 
arrived  at  an  unpropitious  moment.  Ivan  was  starting 
out  on  a  hunting  expedition,  and  the  interruption  so 
incensed  him  that  he  ordered  the  two  unfortunate  men 
to  be  stripped  and  held  down  on  the  ground,  while 
raw  spirits  were  poured  over  them,  their  beards  and  hair 
being  then  set  on  fire.  Just  as  Ivan  was  watching 
this  performance,  news  was  brought  to  him  that  a 
church  bell  had  fallen  to  the  ground.  To  the  super- 
stitious people  of  those  days,  the  Tsar  included,  such  a 
happening  portended  disaster,  and,  leaving  his  victims 
to  their  fate,  he  galloped  away  on  horseback  to  see  the 
fallen  bell.  ' 

The  foreboding  came  true.  Soon  afterwards  a 
terrible  conflagration  devastated  the  city  of  Moscow,  in 
which  at  least  nineteen  hundred  adults  lost  their  lives, 
to  say  nothing  of  innumerable  children.  From  the  safe 
distance  of  his  palace  on  the  Sparrow  Hills,  Ivan 
callously  watched  the  grandiose  spectacle.  The  misery 
of  his  homeless  subjects,  whose  all  had  fallen  a  prey  to 
the  hungry  flames,  lefbhim  utterly  unmoved  ;  the  only 
thing  that  troubled  him  was  the  loss  of  some  of  his  own 
buildings,  which  he  instantly  gave  orders  to  have 
re-erected. 

The  ruined  citizens  did  all  they  could  to  discover  the 
origin  of  the  disaster,  and  the  enemies  of  the  powerful 
Glinskis,  taking  advantage  of  this  opportunity,  assi- 
duously spread  the  report — which  was  only  too  readily 
believed — that  the  fire  had  been  brought  about  by 
witchcraft.  From  mouth  to  mouth  the  rumour  spread  : 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  141 

"  Princess  Anna  Glinski  and  her  family  had  soaked 
human  hearts  in  water,  and  the  Princess  herself  had 
driven  through  the  streets  of  Moscow  sprinkling  that 
water  in  all  directions,  and  wherever  the  water  fell, 
flames  burst  forth."  The  result  of  this  rumour  was 
that  the  exasperated  populace  broke  out  into  rioting, 
and  seizing  any  members  of  that  family  they  could  lay 
their  hands  on,  promptly  lynched  them.  No  attempt 
was  made  to  restrain  the  people,  and  when  it  became 
known  that  the  Princess  Anna  had  sought  shelter  at 
the  palace,  the  crowd  moved  out  towards  the  Sparrow 
Hills,  clamouring  for  the  surrender  of  the  "  witch." 

Yet  this  moment  of  extreme  danger — when  auto- 
cratic power  might  have  been  wielded  with  advantage 
— found  the  Tsar  wanting  in  initiative  and  devoid  of 
resourcefulness.  It  was  at  this  crisis  that  a  deus  ex 
machina  arose.  Just  when  Ivan  was  trembling  in  im- 
potent fear,  Sylvester,  a  priest  from  Novgorod,  appeared 
before  him,  and  cleverly  utilizing  the  Tsar's  state  of 
mind,  worked  on  his  imagination  by  depicting  the  tor- 
ments of  hell  which  awaited  the  tyrant  as  the  penalty  of 
sin — torments  for  which  the  priest  told  him  there  was 
only  one  way  of  escape,  namely,  genuine  repentance. 
Cowed  by  the  threats  administered  in  such  a  masterly 
way,  Ivan  promised  to  amend  his  life.  Thereupon 
Sylvester  undertook  to  rescue  the  Tsar  from  the  peril 
which  was  threatening  him  at  the  moment :  a  few  shots 
from  a  cannon  dispersed  the  crowd,  and  the  situation 
was  saved.  It  was  never  known  how  the  priest  came 
to  be  at  the  Tsar's  palace  at  that  moment,  but  it  has 
been  suggested  that  the  Metropolitan,  who  also  hailed 
from  Novgorod,  had  sent  him  there. 


i42  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

Sylvester's  admonitions  and  threats  had  the  desired 
effect  :  "  the  Tsar  came  to  himself  and  repented  in 
dust  and  ashes.  It  was  as  though  his  diseased  soul 
had  been  cauterized  by  the  fire  of  fear  and  thus 
become  healed."  Ivan  clung  to  the  man  who  had 
so  miraculously  appeared  in  the  hour  of  need  to  save 
him,  and  practically  handed  to  Sylvester  the  power 
which  it  was  his  right  to  wield.  Prince  Kourbski,  the 
contemporary  historian,  writes  that  <c  in  order  that 
the  Christian  land  might  have  a  time  of  rest,  God 
sent  help  in  the  person  of  a  man — Sylvester,  who 
spoke  to  the  Tsar  in  the  name  of  God." 

Poor  Russia  !  it  was  indeed  high  time  for  a  change 
of  policy,  for  u  she  was  beset  by  enemies  without 
and  within,  by  the  lawlessness  of  the  Tsar  himself 
and  of  his  favourites,  which  was  turning  the  country 
into  a  desert  and  ruining  the  fatherland."  For 
a  period  of  ten  years  Muscovy  was  left  in  peace 
by  the  Tsar,  who  gave  over  the  reins  of  government 
into  the  clean,  capable  hands  of  Sylvester.  This  priest, 
assisted  by  Adashev,  a  noble  and  upright  youth,  whom 
Kourbski  compared  to  a  lily  growing  upon  a  dung- 
heap,  reorganized  the  disordered  country.  Theirs  was 
no  easy  task,  but,  fortunately,  the  "  time-servers  "  who 
surrounded  Ivan  fell  in  with  the  new  regime,  and  the 
virtual  Regent  was  soon  able  to  cleanse  the  Augean 
stable. 

To  aid  him  in  the  task  of  governing,  Sylvester 
formed  a  council  of  picked  men,  nobles  and  citizens, 
which  did  excellent  work,  and  on  special  occasions  he 
also  called  a  National  Council.  Two  new  codes  of  law 
were  compiled — a  civil  code,  and  the  Stoglav  dealing 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  143 

with  ecclesiastical  matters,  which  were  once  again 
in  a  deplorable  state.  The  sagacious  Metropolitan 
Makarius  trimmed  his  sail  to  the  wind  and  supported 
Sylvester,  by  whom  he  was  always  treated  with  the 
utmost  deference.  Sylvester  also  drew  up  rules  for 
the  regulation  of  social  and  domestic  life,  the  tc  Domo- 
stroi,"  in  which,  although  many  of  the  injunctions 
with  regard  to  the  treatment  of  children  may  seem 
over  severe,  consideration  for  slaves  and  dependants 
is  earnestly  recommended. 

This  lawgiver  was,  however,  as  exacting  with  him- 
self as  with  others,  and  he  proved  the  sincerity  of  his 
convictions  by  setting  all  his  slaves  free.  His  honest, 
generous  nature  shines  out  in  all  his  writings,  which 
are  in  perfect  harmony  with  his  moral  and  blameless 
life.  He  used  every  means  in  his  power  to  restrain 
the  bloodthirsty  tendencies  of  the  Tsar,  and  to  make 
him  realize  the  beauty  of  a  sober,  moral,  active  and 
generous  life  ;  but  in  vain. 

Sylvester's  ultimate  fall  was  inevitable.  The  only 
marvel  is  that  he  retained  his  position  of  trust  for 
so  many  years.  Friction  had  already  arisen  between 
him  and  the  Tsar,  owing  to  differences  of  opinion 
regarding  the  objective  of  certain  minor  military 
expeditions,  and  especially  the  war  against  Livonia. 
Ivan  desired  a  maritime  outlet,  and  this  campaign 
was  undertaken  with  that  object  ;  Sylvester,  on  his 
part,  strongly  opposed  this  enterprise  as  a  war 
of  conquest,  and  urged  the  Tsar  to  concentrate  all 
his  efforts  in  putting  an  end  to  the  Khanat  of  the 
Crimea,  as  the  perpetual  inroads  of  the  Tatars  were 
disastrous  to  Russia.  He  endeavoured  to  convince 


144  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

Ivan  that,  as  long  as  these  birds  of  prey  had  their 
nests  in  such  close  proximity  to  Russia,  it  was  impos- 
sible for  her  chief  source  of  wealth — her  fertile  plains 
— to  be  developed.  Sylvester  realized  the  pre-eminent 
importance  of  a  definite  and  complete  conquest  of 
the  Tatars  ;  for,  although  no  longer  in  a  position  to 
cite  Russian  princes  to  come  before  them,  the  hordes 
of  the  various  Khans  raided  Russia  so  frequently, 
and  with  such  success,  that  she  was  threatened  with 
depopulation.  The  Tatars,  both  of  Kazan  and  of  the 
Crimea,  made  so  many  captives  year  by  year  that 
the  Levantine  and  Oriental  merchants  who  visited  the 
slave-markets  bought  these  Russians  by  droves,  like 
so  much  cattle.  Occasionally  these  traders  would 
actually  take  their  human  wares  back  into  Russia  to 
sell  them  to  their  own  countrymen,  but  when  pur- 
chasers were  not  forthcoming  the  unfortunate  Russians 
were  carried  back  into  Asia,  where  there  was  a  great 
demand  for  them.  There  was  safety  for  no  man 
south  of  Moscow,  and  at  a  distance  of  only  100 
versts  from  that  city  the  fertile  lands  were  but 
sparsely  populated  by  people  who,  in  this  perpetual 
fight  against  overwhelming  odds,  became  more  Asiatic 
than  European. 

The  war  against  the  Khan  of  Kazan,  in  which  the 
flower  of  Russian  chivalry  was  engaged,  displaying  that 
courage  and  endurance  for  which  they  have  always 
been  renowned,  ended  in  the  conquest  of  Kazan. 
More  than  100,000  Russian  captives  were  thus  set 
free,  which  fact  alone  ought  to  have  proved  to  Ivan 
the  urgent  need  for  settling,  once  for  all,  the  Tatar 
question. 


IVAN  THE  TERRIBLE  145 

The  strict  impartiality  of  Sylvester's  administration 
aroused  the  ire  of  a  certain  faction  of  boyars.  These 
men,  realizing  that  the  Tsar  was  beginning  to  chafe 
at  the  restraints  imposed  upon  him,  played  upon  his 
vanity  as  autocrat  until  they  brought  about  the 
deposition  of  Sylvester,  who  had,  however,  of  his 
own  accord  previously  retired  to  a  monastery.  He 
was  not  allowed  to  remain  in  the  retreat  of  his  choice, 
for  at  Ivan's  command  he  was  sent  away  to  the  lonely 
monastery  of  Solovietsk  in  the  White  Sea,  there  to 
be  kept  prisoner  in  seclusion. 

It  is  one  of  the  queer  inconsistencies  of  Ivan's 
character  that  this  despot  nearly  always  sought  a 
pretext  for  his  crimes,  so  as  to  give  them  an  appearance 
of  legality,  and  he  was  fertile  in  inventing  reasons  to 
justify  his  actions.  Yet  surely  one  who  claimed 
absolute  power  over  the  life  of  his  subjects  could  have 
spared  himself  the  trouble  of  making  excuses.  Thus, 
for  the  sake  of  appearances,  a  trial  was  instituted,  at 
which  Sylvester  was  not  even  permitted  to  appear,  but 
was  condemned  for  wizardry.  Indeed,  the  boyars  so 
worked  upon  the  superstitions  of  the  Tsar  that,  when 
the  monarch  seemed  uncertain  whether  to  let  Sylvester 
appear  before  him  or  not,  they  prevented  it,  by 
assuring  him  that  Sylvester's  very  presence  might  in 
itself  be  a  danger,  for  they  had  already  convinced  Ivan 
that  Sylvester's  great  influence  over  him  had  been  due 
to  a  demoniacal  spell. 

The  consciousness  of  having  been  dominated  was  so 
galling  to  the  pride  of  Ivan  that  his  cowardly  nature, 
in  revenge  for  the  long  restraint  put  upon  it,  poured 
forth  its  fury  upon  all  those  who  had  been  in  sympathy 


146  SOME  RUSSIAN   HEROES 

with  Sylvester.  Adashev,  that  "  angel "  of  a  man,  as 
Kourbski  calls  him,  only  escaped  being  tortured  to 
death  by  dying  of  fever  during  a  military  expedition  in 
Livonia ;  had  he  been  in  Moscow  at  the  time  of 
Sylvester's  fall,  his  fate  would  have  been  unthinkable. 
Although  he  escaped  torture  himself,  his  family  and 
friends  were  almost  all  done  to  death  by  various  horrible 
methods.  It  was  as  if  the  flood  of  Ivan's  criminal 
desires  had  broken  the  dykes  which  Sylvester  had 
built  around  them.  Unrestrained  by  any  guiding 
hand,  the  Tsar  now  followed  a  definite  policy  of 
extirpation  of  those  princely  families  which,  during  the 
reign  of  his  grandfather  and  father,  had  added  so 
much  to  the  lustre  of  the  Muscovite  court.  These 
princes  were  in  most  cases  his  own  kinsmen.  Many 
of  them  still  possessed  their  ancient  appanages,  or 
minor  principalities  ;  no  longer,  however,  as  independent 
rulers,  but  as  vassals  of  Muscovy.  Those  whom  Ivan 
did  not  kill,  with  kith  and  kin,  he  deprived  of  their 
ancestral  domains.  In  his  own  writings  he  admits 
having  confiscated  twenty  such  principalities.  One  or 
two  of  the  princes,  it  is  true,  were  compensated  by 
gifts  of  land  in  far  distant  parts  of  the  empire,  where 
they  were,  however,  completely  cut  off"  fom  all  their 
historic  and  family  traditions. 

Small  wonder  that  some  boyars,  preferring  exile 
to  torture  and  death,  managed  to  escape  from  prison 
cell  or  dungeon  and  fled  to  Poland  or  Lithuania. 
This  "  unreasonable  behaviour  "  grieved  and  incensed 
the  Tsar,  who  invented  a  scheme  of  "  financial  responsi- 
bility "  in  order  to  prevent  the  exodus.  He  made  all 
the  boyars  liable  for  the  escape  of  one  of  their  number. 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  147 

Thus  the  flight  of  Prince  Serebryani  cost  them  one 
and  a  half  million  roubles,1  and  that  of  Prince 
Mstislavski  one  million  two  hundred  thousand,  the 
minimum  fine  being  apparently  half  a  million. 

During  Ivan's  reign  more  than  half  of  the  princely 
boyar  families  became  extinct,  for  the  few  whom  he 
spared  were  forbidden  to  marry.  Thus  died  out  the 
Prosorovskis,  the  Oushatis,  the  Vorotinskis,  the  Odoyev- 
skis — proud  names,  all  of  which  are  to  be  found  in  the 
"  synodic,"  or  memorial  list  for  prayers  for  the  dead 
drawn  up  by  Ivan.  The  positions  left  vacant  by  the 
death  of  boyars  he  filled  with  parvenus,  and  thus  a  new 
class  of  courtiers,  or  "  dvoryane,"  sprang  up.  This 
new  nobility  was  entirely  dependent  upon  the  favour  of 
the  Tsar,  who  rewarded  them  with  titles  and  lands  for 
services  rendered. 

The  only  one  of  those  who  left  his  fatherland  to 
seek  refuge  from  certain  doom,  not  being  at  the 
moment  in  prison,  was  Prince  Andrew  Kourbski,  who 
afterwards  wrote  the  history  of  Ivan's  reign.  This 
gallant  and  noble  prince  sprang  from  a  family  which 
had  borne  for  many  generations  an  unblemished  reputa- 
tion, and  whose  ancestors  had  been  renowned  for  their 
generosity  as  citizens  and  their  courage  as  warriors. 
His  father  had  kept  himself  apart  from  all  court  intrigue, 
but,  like  a  true  patriot,  had  devoted  his  whole  energies 
to  the  services  of  his  country,  and,  during  Ivan's  minority, 
had  been  one  of  the  chief  military  leaders.  Kourbski 
himself  was  a  contemporary  of  the  Tsar,  and  had  been 
in  the  expedition  against  Kazan,  in  which  the  young 
Tsar,  much  against  his  will,  had  also  taken  part.  He 
1  i  rouble  =  1 6s.  of  that  time. 


148  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

became  Ivan's  right  hand  in  matters  of  war,  winning 
his  way  to  favour  by  his  deeds  of  prowess  and  by  the 
success  of  his  military  undertakings  on  the  eastern 
frontier.  For  many  years  he  was  Ivan's  favourite,  and 
the  Tsar,  when  commanding  him  to  make  war  against 
Livonia,  wrote — "  Thee,  my  beloved,  do  1  send  in  my 
stead." 

Kourbski  served  his  master  loyally  and  faithfully 
until  circumstances  obliged  him  to  transfer  his  allegiance 
to  another  master.  It  seems  that  a  reverse  suffered  by 
the  troops  under  his  command  reminded  Ivan  of  the 
fact  that  Kourbski  had  been  the  friend  of  Sylvester  and 
Adashev,  and,  as  such,  should  not  be  allowed  to  live. 
Warned  of  the  danger  which  threatened  him,  the  gallant 
warrior  had  no  choice  but  to  flee  the  country,  and,  as 
soon  as  he  had  found  refuge  in  Poland,  he  wrote  a 
letter  to  Ivan  containing  such  home  truths  as  that 
tyrant  had  never  heard  before.  Amongst  other  things 
he  thus  describes  the  thraldom  of  the  nobles  :  "  Thou 
hast  turned  the  Russian  lands  into  a  prison-house,  and 
free  human  nature  wouldst  thou  hold  captive  in  thine 
hand  as  in  an  infernal  dungeon.  Anyone  who  takes  a 
journey  from  thy  dominion  to  another  is  called  a  traitor, 
and  he  who  is  caught  on  the  frontier  is  tortured  to 
death."  This  document  is  a  terrible  indictment 
against  Ivan,  but  every  accusation  was  founded  on  fact. 

The  brave  servant,  Vassili  Shibanov,  who  delivered 
this  letter  into  the  hands  of  the  Tsar,  was  rewarded  for 
his  faithfulness  by  having  his  foot  pierced  through  with 
an  iron-spiked  stick  upon  which  the  Tsar  leant  heavily, 
while  continuing  to  read  the  letter  ;  Shibanov  never 
flinched,  and  afterwards,  when  put  to  torture,  refused  to 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  149 

utter  a  single  word  that  might  injure  his  master,  but 
praised  him  with  his  dying  breath. 

Had  Ivan  felt  sure  of  himself  and  of  the  righteous- 
ness of  his  cause,  he  would  not  have  troubled  to  answer 
this  letter ;  but,  as  it  was,  to  Kourbski's  seven  and  a  half 
pages,  he  wrote  in  reply  sixty-eight.  A  correspondence 
was  thus  entered  into  which  reflects  the  grotesqueness 
of  Ivan's  mentality,  and  its  lack  of  balance  and  propor- 
tion. It  completely  reveals  his  inherent  untruthfulness, 
for  he  writes  obvious  lies  in  order  to  excuse  himself 
for  certain  crimes  and  acts  of  cowardice  adduced  by 
Kourbski.  These  letters,  penned  by  Ivan's  own  hand, 
reveal  the  man  himself  to  be  all  unconsciously  both 
terrible  and  ridiculous,  pitiful  and  execrable,  a  deceiver 
of  self,  as  well  as  a  deliberate  deceiver  of  others.  He 
quotes  classics,  Holy  Scriptures  and  the  Fathers  in  justi- 
fication of  his  obsession — that  of  wielding  unlimited 
power.  He  actually  cites  the  case  of  Shibanov  to 
illustrate  his  ideal  of  faithful  service,  and  reproaches 
Kourbski  for  not  allowing  himself  to  be  killed  by  his 
master,  the  Tsar,  if  such  was  the  monarch's  pleasure. 

The  letters  form  quite  a  volume  in  themselves,  and 
make  it  clear  that  all  the  brilliant  feats  of  war  and  all 
the  beneficent  reforms  introduced  during  the  years  of 
Sylvester's  influence  had  been  brought  about  in  spite 
of,  and  not  because  of,  the  wish  of  Ivan.  "  I  was  a  slave 
on  a  throne,"  he  writes  ;  "  Sylvester  and  Adashev  kept 
me  from  all  power  or  authority.  They  and  you  boyars 
not  only  refused  to  obey  me,  but  took  the  law  into 
your  own  hands,  so  that  I  was  Tsar  only  in  name."  In 
another  letter  he  does  not  abuse  Kourbski,  but  writes 
in  the  strain  of  self-accusation  ;  Kourbski,  in  his  reply 


150  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

points  out  that  the  fugitive  is  not  exactly  the  right 
person  to  act  as  confessor.  c<  Thou  confesseth  thy  sins 
to  me  as  if  I  were  a  priest — I  am  an  ordinary  man  and 
a  warrior.  But  there  would  be  joy  not  only  to  me,  thy 
erstwhile  slave,  but  to  all  kings  and  people  if  thy 
repentance  were  true." 

In  the  year  1564  another  crisis  occurred  in  the  life  of 
Ivan,  who  once  again  desired  to  free  himself  from  all 
the  influences  which  surrounded  him.  He  was  tired  of 
his  advisers  and  wearied  of  the  high  ecclesiastics,  who 
were  always  interceding  on  behalf  of  those  whom  he 
had  imprisoned  or  outlawed.  He  craved  for  unre- 
strained licence,  and  longed  to  follow  his  perverse 
instincts  without  let  or  hindrance.  All  he  needed  was 
a  pretext  for  ridding  himself  of  even  that  semblance  of 
restraint  which  his  official  advisers  were  placing  upon 
him,  as  well  as  of  the  moral  restraint  of  the  prelates. 
In  his  cunning  mind  a  plan  had  taken  shape,  and,  with 
his  taste  for  playing  a  part,  he  now  staged  a  drama,  the 
grim  humour  of  which  was  appreciated  only  by  himself. 
With  a  true  eye  to  effect,  he  paid  a  round  of  State 
visits  to  all  the  churches  ;  not  only  did  he  do  this,  but 
he  gave  orders  for  all  the  most  sacred  ikons  to  be 
brought  to  his  palace  for  veneration.  Meanwhile,  he 
had  everything  in  his  palace  packed  up,  and  all  the 
members  of  his  household  were  told  to  prepare  for 
a  journey.  After  mystifying  everybody  and  creating 
an  atmosphere  of  suspense  for  a  whole  fortnight,  he 
suddenly  left  Moscow. 

The  consternation  of  the  populace,  the  astonishment 
of  the  clergy,  and  the  utter  perplexity  of  the  boyars 
can  easily  be  imagined.  For  a  few  days  everything  was 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  151 

disorganized,  and  so  general  was  the  stupefaction  even 
among  the  officials  at  his  unexpected  departure,  that  no 
one  dared  even  to  follow  him.  The  consternation  was 
increased  when,  a  day  or  two  later,  two  proclamations 
arrived  from  the  truant  monarch,  saying  that  he  had 
decided  to  abdicate  and  to  commit  the  government  of 
his  realm  to  "  the  whole  nation."  In  one  of  these 
documents  he  accused  the  boyars  of  treason  and  the 
clergy  of  upholding  them.  In  the  second  proclamation, 
which  was  addressed  to  the  citizens  of  Moscow,  he 
accused  the  boyars  of  having  accumulated  riches  at  the 
cost  of  the  people,  and  of  being  "  as  regardless  of  the 
poor  as  of  their  Sovereign,"  thus  appealing  to  the  worst 
instincts  of  the  people,  and  inflaming  them  against 
both  nobility  and  clergy.  As  to  the  bishops,  "  when 
he,  the  Tsar,  in  his  righteous  anger  had  meted  out 
punishment  to  the  guilty  boyars,  the  clergy  had  in- 
terceded for  these  traitors."  This  proclamation  had 
the  desired  effect,  and  the  excited  populace  responded 

(  instinctively  to  Ivan's  appeal.  They,  at  any  rate,  were 
loyal  and  true,  and  would  stand  by  their  ill-used  ruler, 
and  the  cry  was  carried  from  mouth  to  mouth  :  "  The 
Tsar  must  not  leave  his  realm,  he  must  not  deliver 
us  over  to  the  mercy  of  these  nobles  ;  he  must  save  us 
from  the  hand  of  the  oppressors.  Let  him  put  to 
death  his  secret  foes,  for  life  and  death  are  in  the 

I  hands  of  God  and  of  the  Tsar."  The  popular  indigna- 
tion was  increased  by  the  fear  lest  Ivan,  whom  they 
now  considered  their  sole  protector,  should  forsake 
them  for  good. 

To  save  their  own  lives,  the  boyars — who  saw  that  by 
no  possibility  could  they  justify  or  defend  themselves — 


152  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

were  obliged  to  <c  howl  with  the  wolves,"  and  join  in 
the  cry  for  the  Tsar's  return.  The  people  not  only 
recalled  him  with  enthusiasm,  but  offered  him  their 
active  assistance.  "  The  Tsar  has  but  to  point  out  to 
us  who  are  his  enemies,  and  we  will  extirpate  them 
with  our  own  hands."  The  deputation,  headed  by  the 
Metropolitan,  waited  upon  the  Tsar  at  Alexandrovo, 
where,  on  his  way  "  whither  God  would  lead  him,"  he 
had  broken  his  journey.  The  Tsar  agreed  to  consider 
the  request  of  his  people,  and,  in  his  reply  to  them, 
brought  forward  many  hypocritical  excuses  for  his 
flight,  which  he  contended  had  been  forced  upon  him. 
After  some  show  of  reluctance,  he  at  length  consented 
to  return  to  Moscow,  accompanied  by  the  deputation  of 
ecclesiastics  and  nobles,  in  order  to  lay  before  the  nation 
those  conditions  upon  which  alone  he  would  agree  to 
resume  the  reins  of  government.  The  man  whom  the 
people  in  their  loyal  enthusiasm  came  forward  to 
welcome  seemed  no  longer  the  same  as  he  who  had 
withdrawn  himself  from  their  midst  only  a  fortnight 
previously.  The  paroxysm  of  rage  in  which  Ivan  had 
been  indulging  had  distorted  his  features,  his  eyes 
were  sunken  and  restless,  his  whole  aspect  sinister  and 
ferocious,  and  he  had  become  almost  bald.  The  agony 
of  uncertainty  as  to  how  his  coup  would  answer  had 
told  upon  him  to  such  an  extent  that  he  now  looked 
like  one  who  had  just  passed  through  a  severe  nervous 
crisis. 

Once  again  in  his  capital,  Ivan  promulgated  his 
conditions  without  delay.  He  laid  claim  to  the  right 
to  confiscate  property,  to  banish  whom  he  liked,  and  to 
put  to  death  traitors  without  any  interference  on  the 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  153 

part  of  the  clergy,  who  were  henceforth  to  abstain 
from  interceding  on  behalf  of  guilty  parties.  He  also 
put  before  the  assembled  council  the  "  New  Order  for 
the  Empire,"  which  either  he  or  some  courtier,  anxious 
to  curry  favour,  had  invented.  By  this  ordinance  the 
whole  realm  was  to  be  divided  into  two  distinct  halves, 
the  Zemshtchina  and  the  Opritchnina.  Certain  towns 
and  districts  were  to  become  royal  domains,  the  private 
property  of  himself  and  his  sons,  this  portion  to  be 
known  as  the  Opritchnina  ;  the  rest,  which  was  to  be 
called  the  Zemshtchina,  he  handed  over  to  the  Council 
of  the  Boyars.  He  duplicated  every  office,  whether  at 
court  or  of  administration — in  fact,  there  were  to  be 
two  Russias — a  kingdom  divided  against  itself.  From 
henceforth  this  monomaniac  considered  the  Zemshtchina 
as  enemy  country,  and  began  to  treat  its  inhabitants 
accordingly.  He  demanded  a  heavy  tribute  of  100,000 
roubles  from  the  Zemshtchina  for  the  building  of  the 
palace  in  Alexandrovo  Sloboda,  where  he  intended 
establishing  his  new  court. 

His  immediate  entourage  was  selected  by  the 
Tsar  himself  from  amongst  the  riff-raff  of  society, 
and  formed  into  his  bodyguard — the  Opritchniki. 
These  Opritchniki,  of  whom  there  were  one  thousand 
to  begin  with,  but  whose  numbers  soon  increased  to 
six  thousand,  had  to  swear  an  oath  of  fealty  to  the  Tsar. 
They  also  had  to  swear  that  they  would  love  him  more 
than  father  and  mother,  that  they  would  denounce 
their  own  kith  and  kin  if  found  to  be  plotting  against 
him  ;  that  they  would  be  constantly  on  the  look  out 
for  treason,  and  report  it  immediately  when  discovered 
to  the  Tsar.  Just  as  the  drunkard  sees  rats  in  his 


154  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

delirium,  so  did  the  Tsar  see  traitors  on  every  side, 
and  in  his  attempt  to  brush  them  out  of  his  path  he 
deprived  a  number  of  the  most  innocent  people  of  their 
lives. 

To  eat  and  drink  with  any  of  the  Zemshtchina  people 
was  a  crime,  but  to  do  them  every  hurt,  to  plunder 
them,  even  to  murder  them,  was  not  only  permissible 
but  praiseworthy.  Indeed,  the  worse  the  Opritchniki 
behaved,  the  more  they  found  favour  with  the  tyrant. 
The  Tsar's  ferocious  bodyguard  behaved  as  if  they 
were  in  an  enemy's  country.  To  them  was  given 
unlimited  power  to  root  out  and  destroy  the  Tsar's 
imaginary  enemies.  No  one  was  safe,  least  of  all  the 
boyars  of  Moscow  and  other  rich  men,  all  of  whom 
were  exposed  to  hourly  danger.  Before  long,  twelve 
thousand  boyar  families  were  rendered  homeless,  and 
forced  to  become  wanderers  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 
Woe  betide  anyone  who  gave  shelter  to  one  of  these 
outlaws,  and  should  a  tender-hearted  peasant  offer  an 
asylum  to  some  boyaryinia  in  her  hour  of  travail, 
he  paid  for  his  humanity  with  his  life. 

If  an  Opritchnik  coveted  anything,  he  had  only  to 
invent  an  accusation  in  order  to  have  its  owner  brought 
before  the  Tsar.  Sometimes  a  man  was  accused  of 
theft,  and  of  course  the  stolen  goods  were  found  on  his 
premises,  having  been  surreptitiously  placed  there  pre- 
viously by  his  accuser.  The  Tsar's  familiars  wore  a 
special  garb,  their  symbol  of  office  being  a  dog's  head 
and  broom,  signifying  that  it  was  their  duty  to  protect 
the  Tsar,  to  show  their  teeth  to  his  enemies,  and  with  the 
broom  to  sweep  away  every  traitor.  Chief  among  the 
Opritchniki  were  Malyuta  Skouratov,  Basmanov  and 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  155 

Afonass  Vyezemski.  So  terrible  was  the  influence 
of  the  Opritchniki  upon  the  land,  that  Kourbski 
writes  :  "  Satan  himself  could  not  have  invented  a 
more  successful  plan  for  ruining  mankind." 

Within  the  walls  of  his  castle  at  Alexandrovo 
Sloboda,  Ivan  instituted  a  new  mode  of  life.  In  fact, 
he  turned  his  palace  into  a  pseudo-monastic  establish- 
ment, of  which  he  was  the  mock  Abbot,  three  hundred 
of  his  followers  having  to  don  monks'  habits.  Life 
was  strictly  regulated  by  the  imperial  Abbot,  who 
demanded  implicit  obedience  to  his  rules.  If  anyone 
was  not  in  his  place  in  church  at  4  a.m.  he  was 
condemned  to  fast  for  a  week.  From  4  to  7  a.m. 
service  was  celebrated  by  priests,  and  apparently  the 
most  devout  worshipper  was  the  Tsar  himself,  who 
repeated  "  Lord,  have  mercy  "  with  great  fervour,  while 
his  prostrations  during  service  were  executed  with  such 
vigour  and  frequency  that  hard  lumps  developed  on 
his  forehead.  At  eight  o'clock  Matins  were  sung,  and 
then  followed  a  sumptuous  repast,  during  which  the 
Tsar  read  aloud  the  Lives  of  the  Saints  to  the  members 
of  this  devil's  brotherhood.  When  the  meal  was  over, 
the  good  things  that  remained  were  taken  to  the 
beggars  who  regularly  gathered  in  the  palace  yard. 

The  real  business  of  the  day  could  now  begin. 
Accompanied  by  some  choice  brethren — among  them 
always  Malyuta  Skouratov — who  carried  long  knives 
under  habits  which  they  wore  over  their  costly  garments, 
Ivan  now  proceeded  to  the  torture-chamber,  where 
innocent  men  and  women  were  assembled  for  their 
doom.  At  times  as  many  as  one  hundred  victims 
would  await  the  Imperial  inquisitor,  whole  families 


156  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

being  brought  into  the  blood-stained  chamber,  where 
they  were  surrounded  by  instruments  of  torture. 

The  Tsar  sat  in  judgement,  accusing  men  and 
women,  old  and  young,  of  the  most  improbable  offences 
and  unheard-of  treason.  No  protestations  of  innocence 
were  of  any  avail.  Ever  new  methods  of  death 
emanated  from  the  fertile  brain  of  this  master  in  the  art 
of  torture,  who  invariably  added  mental  anguish  to 
physical  suffering.  So  appalling  were  his  methods  of 
torture  that  the  reader  of  contemporary  chronicles  and 
records  feels  sick,  and  the  pen  of  the  writer  is  unable5 
from  reasons  of  humanity  and  decency,  to  mention  more 
than  a  few  of  the  mildest. 

Thus,  mothers  had  to  witness  their  young  children 
flung  into  a  furnace  ;  parents  had  to  stand  helplessly  by 
while  their  fair  daughters  were  hung  up  by  their  legs, 
and  then  cut  asunder  ;  a  wife  was  forced  to  look  on 
while  molten  tin  was  poured  down  her  husband's  throat  ; 
an  impaled  son  had  his  mother  tickled  to  death  before 
his  eyes,  and  so  on.  Such  tortures  as  these  were 
gloated  over  by  Ivan,  who  commended  the  skill  of  those 
who  carried  out  his  hideous  commands.  Nothing 
pleased  him  better  than  to  sneer  at  the  impotent 
anguish  of  his  victims  as  they  lay  grovelling  for  mercy 
at  his  feet,  while  nothing  aroused  him  to  such  a  pitch 
of  fury  as  to  be  confronted  with  unflinching  courage. 
In  contrast  with  such  fiendish  depravity,  it  is  indeed 
inspiring  to  find  that  there  were  not  only  men,  but 
women,  who,  in  spite  of  the  horrors  which  they  knew 
awaited  them,  went  proudly,  with  uplifted  head,  to  meet 
their  doom. 

Having  satisfied  his  bloodthirsty  appetite  for  the  day, 


IVAN  THE   TERRIBLE  157 

the  Tsar  returned  to  his  castle,  attended  Evensong,  and 
then  retired  to  his  chamber,  where,  stretched  on  a 
luxurious  couch,  he  would  be  lulled  to  sleep  with  fairy 
tales  related  to  him  by  blind  beggars,  or  enjoy  the 
unwilling  society  of  some  abducted  boyaryinia,  for  the 
carrying  out  of  religious  observances  interfered  as  little 
with  his  breaches  of  the  seventh  commandment  as  with 
his  "  execution  of  justice."  Many  a  beautiful  lady  was 
brought  to  him,  and,  having  satisfied  his  lust,  he  passed 
the  unhappy  creatures  on  to  his  followers.  Death  alone 
put  an  end  to  the  sufferings  of  these  victims  of  unbridled 
lasciviousness.  It  fared  ill  with  the  husband  who  had 
the  temerity  to  complain,  and  more  than  one  had  the 
naked  and  violated  body  of  his  dead  wife  hung  up  over 
his  dinner-table,  being  forced  to  eat  his  meals  for  days 
in  its  company,  or  had  it  hung  up  before  his  door 
as  a  warning  of  the  fate  which  awaited  anyone  who 
presumed  to  withhold  aught  from  the  tyrant. 

In  the  torture-chamber,  reeking  with  blood,  Ivan 
gave  full  rein  to  his  histrionic  talent.  For  instance, 
there  was  the  case  of  a  former  master  of  the  horse,  to 
whom  the  Tsar  had  taken  a  dislike.  Accompanied  by 
his  wife,  the  old  man  was  led  into  Ivan's  presence  and 
accused  of  having  plotted  to  make  himself  Tsar  in 
Ivan's  place.  Having  listened  with  apparent  reason- 
ableness to  the  protestations  of  innocence  of  the  aged 
couple,  the  monarch  proceeded  to  enact  a  devilish 
farce.  "  Thou  didst  aspire  to  my  throne — to  be  Tsar. 
Well  let  it  be  so  !  "  By  his  orders,  the  Opritchniki 
put  royal  robes  upon  the  helpless  man  and  placed 
a  crown  upon  his  head,  and  then  the  Tsar,  kneeling 
down  before  his  petrified  victim,  bowed  himself  to  the 


158  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

ground  and  addressed  him  in  mock  humility  as  "  My 
Lord/7  Suddenly,  quick  as  lightning,  he  struck  his 
knife  into  the  old  man's  heart. 

Ivan  never  forgave  an  imagined  slight,  and  even  the 
most  casual  student  of  his  career  cannot  fail  to 
recognize  that,  in  his  bloodthirsty  nature,  the  ferocity 
of  the  tiger  was  coupled  with  the  playful  cruelty  of  the 
cat.  He  hardly  ever  struck  immediately,  but  per- 
mitted those  against  whom  he  bore  a  grudge  to  live  in 
a  state  of  false  security,  into  which  he  himself  had 
lulled  them  by  signs  of  apparent  favour.  Then,  at  the 
moment  when  it  was  least  expected,  he  would  pounce 
upon  his  victim. 

There  is  an  appalling  monotony  in  the  enumeration 
of  murders  and  death  sentences  in  Prince  Kourbski's 
History  of  the  Reign  of  Ivan.  The  only  variety  lies 
in  the  method  of  torture  reported  by  this  writer,  or 
quoted  by  him  as  having  been  seen  by  such  eye- 
witnesses as  two  Livonians,  Taube  and  Kruse,  who, 
having  been  taken  captive  in  Livonia,  had  entered  the 
service  of  the  Tsar.  Perhaps  the  most  revolting  case, 
in  its  refinement  of  cruelty,  was  that  of  the  murder  of 
the  Tsar's  own  cousin,  Prince  Vladimir  Andreievitch, 
together  with  his  wife  and  children.  This  cousin  had 
incurred  his  displeasure  many  years  previously  when 
Ivan,  having  fallen  suddenly  ill,  demanded  of  Vladimir 
and  the  boyars  the  recognition  of  his  infant  son  as  heir 
to  the  throne.  Adashev's  father,  as  spokesman  for  the 
boyars,  boldly  objected  to  this  plan,  as  another  regency 
would  be  fatal  to  the  welfare  of  the  country.  Finally, 
Vladimir  himself,  whom  the  boyars  desired  to  appoint 
as  Ivan's  successor,  signed  a  document  promising  to 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  159 

elect  and  support  the  little  prince.  Ivan,  however, 
recovered  from  his  illness,  and  for  a  time  kept  his 
cousin  under  close  supervision,  and  deprived  him  of 
his  hereditary  estates.  Gradually  the  restraint  was 
relaxed,  for  Vladimir  proved  himself  a  loyal  and  faithful 
servant  of  his  Imperial  cousin,  on  whose  behalf  he 
successfully  combated  external  foes,  thereby  adding 
considerably  to  Muscovy's  glory.  To  all  appearances 
he  was  enjoying  the  favour  of  the  Tsar,  who  was  always 
showering  presents  upon  him.  The  suspicious  Ivan, 
however,  had  never  forgiven  Vladimir  for  his  reluctance 
in  signing  that  document,  and  was  merely  biding  his 
time  of  revenge.  He  had  successfully  lulled  his  victim 
into  false  security,  and  therefore  when  his  cousin,  who 
was  carrying  on  the  duties  of  his  office  in  Nijni- 
Novgorod,  received  an  invitation  from  the  Tsar  to 
come  with  his  family  and  pay  him  a  visit  at  Alexandrovo 
Sloboda,  he  accepted  it  with  delight.  He  was  all 
unconscious  that  treachery  had  been  at  work,  that 
his  cook  had  been  bribed  to  inform  some  of  Ivan's 
servants  that  he  had  intended  sending  a  present  of 
poisoned  fish  to  the  Tsar. 

Vladimir  and  his  family  arrived  one  evening,  with 
their  retinue,  at  the  palace.  According  to  the  two 
Germans,  who  mentioned  all  these  details  in  a  letter  to 
the  last  Grand-master  of  the  Livonian  Order  of  "  Sword- 
bearers,"  the  ducal  party  received  a  flattering  reception, 
although  they  were  not  called  into  the  presence  of  the 
Tsar  that  night.  In  the  morning,  when  walking  in 
the  palace  square,  they  suddenly  found  themselves 
surrounded  by  a  company  of  armed  men  led  by 
Malyuta  Skouratov.  The  accusation  of  having 


160  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

attempted  to  poison  the  Tsar  came  upon  the  unsus- 
pecting people  like  a  bolt  from  the  blue.  Not  as 
honoured  guests  but  as  terrified  suppliants  the 
unhappy  family  was  now  brought  into  the  presence 
of  the  Tsar,  who  received  them  in  his  own  sumptuous 
private  apartments.  Vladimir's  weeping  wife  and 
daughters,  protesting  his  innocence  in  piteous  tones, 
prostrated  themselves  before  Ivan,  imploring  him  to 
have  mercy  on  their  husband  and  father  ;  but  all  in 
vain.  Comfortably  seated  in  his  chair,  the  Tsar 
thoroughly  enjoyed  witnessing  the  abject  misery  of 
his  relations,  who,  in  proof  of  their  sincerity,  offered 
to  take  the  veil  for  life  if  he  would  only  believe  in  the 
innocence  of  Vladimir.  Ivan  listened  to  their  pleading 
for  a  while  with  stony  indifference,  then,  suddenly 
turning  to  his  cousin,  shouted,  "  Thou  didst  seek  to 
take  from  me  my  life  and  my  crown  ;  thou  didst 
deliberately  prepare  poison  for  me,  now  drink  of  it 
yourselves."  Thereupon  the  doomed  party  were 
made  to  sit  round  a  table  while  a  cup  of  poison  was 
handed  to  each  one  by  the  Tsar  himself. 

Prince  Vladimir  at  first  refused  to  take  it,  saying, 
"  I  am  prepared  to  die,  but  not  by  my  own  hand  ;  that 
I  cannot — will  not  do  ;  let  them  kill  me  !  "  His  wife, 
however,  looking  bravely  and  lovingly  into  his  face, 
said,  "  My  friend,  thou  art  indeed  being  slain  not  by 
thyself,  but  by  him  who  gave  thee  the  poison  ;  and  if 
one  must  needs  die,  is  it  not  better  to  do  so  at  the 
hand  of  the  Tsar  than  at  that  of  the  hangman  ?  This 
foul  crime  will  surely  be  avenged  at  the  great  Judg- 
ment Day."  Whereupon  the  Prince,  committing  his 
soul  to  God,  drained  the  deadly  cup.  His  wife  and 


IVAN  THE   TERRIBLE  161 

children  followed  his  example,  and  fifteen  minutes  later 
their  dead  bodies  lay  on  the  floor  before  the  eyes  of 
their  murderer. 

Not  content  with  this,  Ivan  now  called  in  the 
boyaryinias  and  women-servants  who  had  come  in  his 
cousins'  train  and  bade  them  gaze  upon  the  dead 
bodies  of  their  unfortunate  master  and  his  family. 
What  a  spectacle  !  The  magnificent  surroundings 
of  the  Tsar,  seated  in  gorgeous  robes  in  his  luxurious 
chair,  pointing  out  to  a  group  of  horror-stricken 
women  the  stiffening  corpses  lying  stretched  out  on  the 
rich  oriental  carpet.  cc  See  how  I  punish  evil-doers  !  " 
he  exclaimed.  "  You,  too,  deserve  death  ;  yet  if  you 
beg  for  mercy  I  will  spare  you  !  "  Speechless  with 
horror  and  amazement,  at  first  they  could  do  nothing 
but  stare  at  the  forms  of  the  innocent  victims  ;  but 
suddenly  a  full  realization  of  the  crime  burst  upon 
them,  and,  with  a  sublime  disregard  of  their  own 
safety,  they  cried  as  with  one  voice,  c<  We  do  not 
want  thy  mercy,  thou  bloodthirsty  murderer  of  our 
dear  lord.  We  would  far  rather  die,  that  we  may 
accuse  thee  ceaselessly  before  God  until  the  Judgme-nt 
Day.  We  will  have  none  of  thy  mercy,  neither  do  we 
care  to  live  on  earth  under  thy  tyrannous  power. 
Therefore  do  thy  worst  !  "  Enraged  at  being  called  a 
murderer  to  his  face,  and  that  by  women,  the  ferocious 
Tsar  now  gave  orders  that  they  were  to  be  stripped 
and  hounded  through  the  streets,  then  shot,  and  their 
corpses,  after  being  hacked  to  pieces,  thrown  to  the 
dogs. 

Still  unsatisfied  with  his  revenge,  Ivan  now  poured 
the    vials    of  his  wrath  upon   Vladimir's  mother,   his 

M 


1 62  SOME  RUSSIAN   HEROES 

uncle's  widow,  who  had  been  forced  by  him  to  take 
the  veil  many  years  previously,  at  the  time  when  her 
son  had  been  put  under  surveillance.  Now  she,  too, 
was  no  longer  to  be  allowed  to  live,  and  the  official 
records  of  those  days  testify  to  the  fact  that  this  noble 
nun  was  flung  down  from  a  height  into  the  river  and 
drowned. 

To  obtain  a  correct  impression  of  the  terror  of  this 
period,  one  must  realize  that  such  cases  as  those  cited 
above  could  be  multiplied  a  hundredfold.  Foreign 
diplomatists  and  merchants  who  visited  Muscovy  at 
the  time  have  left  records  of  their  sojourn  in  that 
hitherto  little  known  country,  which  convey  such  a 
picture  of  the  "  Tormentor  "  as  makes  one  shiver. 

Since  1553  commercial  and  political  relations  with 
England  had  been  entered  into,  and  Ivan  had  granted 
extensive  privileges  to  English  merchants.  Accredited 
envoys  were  sent  from  one  country  to  the  other,  and 
the  reports  of  such  men  as  Sir  Jerome  Bowles, 
Jenkinson  and  Horsey,  supply  valuable  and  authentic 
information  of  the  life  and  customs  of  barbaric 
Muscovy,  and  of  its  terrible  ruler.  All  agree  as  to 
the  abject  poverty  and  utter  helplessness  of  the  people, 
and  the  dazzling  splendour  of  the  Court,  which  blazed 
with  gold  and  jewels.  They  had,  however,  to  be 
very  careful  what  they  wrote,  for  Ivan  was  extremely 
suspicious,  and  strongly  objected  to  any  criticism  of 
his  realm.  On  one  occasion  he  justified  himself  for 
his  coldness  to  the  late  ambassador  on  the  ground 
that  in  some  luggage  were  found  "many  letters 
wherein  was  written  much  against  our  princely  estate  ;  " 
that  u  in  our  empire  were  many  unlawful  things  done/' 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  163 

whereat  he  was  much  grieved.  What  would  he  have 
felt  had  he  been  able  to  read  the  following  lines 
written  by  Turbervile,  secretary  of  the  ambassador 
Randolfe  ?- 

"Good  faith,  I  see  thee  muse  at  what  I  tell  thce  now, 
But  true  it  is — no  choice,  but  all  at  princes'  pleasure  bow. 
...  In  such  a  savage  soil  where  laws  do  beare  no  sway 
But  all  is  at  the  King  his  will,  to  save  or  else  to  slay — 
And  that  sans  cause,  God  wot,  if  so  his  minde  be  such, — 
But  what  meane  I  with  kings  to  deale  ? 
.   .   .  Conceive  the  rest  yourself  and  deem  what  lives  they  lead 
Where  lust  is  law  and  subjects  live  continually  in  dread. 
...  In  summe,  I  say,  I  never  saw  a  prince  that  so  did  rage." 

No  wonder  that  when  Ivan  offered  Queen  Elizabeth 
an  asylum  from  any  foes  she  might  happen  to  have 
at  any  time,  she  coolly  declined,  and  that,  in  response 
to  his  request  to  be  offered  a  refuge  in  England  should 
his  boyars  turn  against  him,  he  merely  gained  per- 
mission to  settle  in  England,  where  he  would  have  to 
live  at  his  own  expense — if  he  so  desired.  In  the 
grim  tragedy  of  Ivan's  reign,  the  only  streak  of  pure 
comedy  (if  one  may  believe  the  story)  is  the  fancy  that 
took  him  to  marry  the  virgin  Queen  of  England,  to 
whom  he  writes  :  "  Beloved  Sister  !  "  signing  himself 
"  Loving  Brother."  This  union  was  suggested  to  him 
by  a  Dutch  adventurer,  Bomelius,  astrologer  and  quack, 
who  made  the  Queen  out  to  be  young  and  pretty. 
Indeed,  the  idea  was  so  attractive  to  Ivan  that  he  never 
quite  gave  up  the  hope  of  marrying  an  English  wife. 

Although  he  treated  the  boyars  as  bitter  enemies,  he 
could  neither  dispense  with  their  services  on  the  field 
of  battle,  nor  with  their  counsel  on  political  matters 


164  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

when,  as  was  generally  the  case,  he  desired  to  rid 
himself  of  personal  responsibility.  For,  almost  all  the 
while  that  he  was  terrorizing  his  nobles,  many  of  these 
selfsame  "  traitors "  were  leading  his  armies  against 
his  external  foes  north,  south,  east  and  west.  They 
fought  against  Tatars  and  Swedes,  Poles,  Lithuanians, 
and  German  knights,  for  the  history  of  Ivan's  reign  is 
one  of  continual  warfare.  While  he  was  amusing 
himself  with  pastimes  worthy  of  a  Nero,  his  boyars, 
Shtchenatyev  and  Vorotyinski,  Adashev,  Kourbski  and 
many  others,  were  winning  glory  for  the  Russian  arms 
and  adding  new  countries  to  the  Tsar's  dominions. 

The  records  of  these  days  give  one  the  impression 
of  much  political  activity  and  of  a  perpetual  coming 
and  going  of  envoys  and  ambassadors  from  all  parts— 
from  Poland  and  Lithuania,  from  Sweden  and  Livonia, 
from  Georgia  and  the  Crimea,  from  Austria,  and  even 
from  Rome.  The  Tsar  is  thus  described  when 
receiving  foreign  Embassies  :  "  He  usually  wears  on 
his  head  a  small  skullcap,  and  a  crown  of  gold  studded 
with  precious  jewels  and  adorned  with  a  cross.  His 
coat  is  of  gold  cloth  and  red  velvet,  bespangled  with 
big  pearls.  It  has  a  border,  and  so  have  the  sleeves, 
embroidered  with  beautiful  jewels.  He  wears  a  high 
collar  decorated  with  pearls  and  other  jewels.  On  his 
chest  he  wears  a  beautiful  gold  cross  (two  fingers 
broad  and  one  span  long).  On  his  ringers  he  wears  many 
large  rings  ;  his  boots,  too,  are  gloriously  embroidered 
with  pearls." 

His  unsuccessful  war  against  Poland,  and  the  sore 
plight  in  which  he  found  himself  in  consequence,  forced 
Ivan  to  implore  the  Pope's  mediation.  Stefan  Bathory's 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  165 

generous  and  humane  offer  to  decide  the  issue  by  a 
duel  had  been  refused  by  the  cowardly  Tsar.  With 
the  Pope's  Legate  he  held  long  conversations  on 
theological  topics,  one  of  his  favourite  pastimes. 
Polemics  greatly  interested  the  tyrant,  who  often 
talked  with  Lutheran  clergy,  for  he  was  perfectly 
tolerant  towards  all  creeds,  and  no  one  was  persecuted 
by  him  for  religious  convictions. 

After  his  famous  coup  d'etat,  Ivan  "reigned  by 
himself,"  as  he  expressed  it  in  his  letter  to  Kourbski, 
thereby  proving  that  this  period  of  terror  was  a  reign 
after  his  own  heart.  The  position  of  the  clergy  had 
become  exceedingly  invidious.  They  were  restrained 
from  interceding  for  the  boyars,  only  the  Metropolitan 
Makarius  making  occasional  very  tentative  suggestions 
for  leniency,  but  he  was  too  diplomatic  to  incur 
the  Tsar's  wrath  seriously.  His  successor,  Athanasius, 
anxious  at  first  to  please  Ivan,  followed  the  example  of 
his  famous  predecessor,  but  soon  resigned  his  position, 
unable  to  reconcile  his  conscience  with  the  existence  of 
the  Opritchnina. 

Once  again  the  inconsistency  of  Ivan's  character  and 
the  incongruity  of  his  actions  asserted  itself.  Torn 
by  conflicting  desires,  he  stretched  out  unconsciously 
towards  those  who  were  truly  Christian  and  good,  and 
whose  faith  and  religious  zeal  were  genuine,  and  not, 
like  his  own,  a  mere  mockery.  Still,  it  is  a  question 
whether  his  show  of  religion  was  entirely  mockery  and 
pretence,  and  was  not  rather  fear  of  the  wrath  to  come 
—the  Tsar  of  Russia  being  afraid  of  the  Tsar  of 
Heaven,  and  therefore  anxious  to  propitiate  Him  in 
order  to  escape  the  torments  of  hell,  which  his 


1 66  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

conscience  may  have  told  him  he  so  richly  deserved. 
His  life  was  alternately  signalized  by  acts  of  sin  and 
repentance,  of  lust  and  fear. 

His  next  choice  of  a  Metropolitan  fell  upon  the 
Archbishop  of  Kazan,  Herman,  a  venerable  old  man 
of  blameless  life,  renowned  for  his  piety  and  zeal  and 
for  his  successful  evangelization  of  the  Mohammedan 
Tatars  of  Kazan.  The  new  Metropolitan  was  very 
loth  to  accept  the  dignity,  but  being  both  honest  and 
brave,  though  he  did  not  directly  reprove  the  Tsar  for  his 
sins,  he  made  bold  to  speak  to  him  of  repentance  and  of 
the  truly  Christian  life.  Ivan  chafed  under  this  plain 
speaking  and  resented  even  such  indirect  criticism,  and 
the  irritation  only  increased  when  his  subservient 
friend  Basmanov  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  the 
Metropolitan  spoke  very  much  as  Sylvester  had  done. 
It  was,  indeed,  this  remark  which  decided  the  deposition 
of  the  old  man,  who,  by  order  of  the  Tsar,  was  banished 
from  the  Capital.  Soon  after  he  died — or,  was  he 
killed  ? 

There  were  many  ambitious  bishops — among  others, 
the  Bishop  of  Novgorod — who  were  quite  willing  to 
combine  the  duties  incumbent  upon  the  shepherd  of 
Christ's  flock  with  an  attitude  of  amiable  compliance 
towards  the  Tsar.  Yet  these  were  passed  over,  and  it 
is  curious  to  note  that  it  was  when  Ivan's  life  was  one 
hideous  nightmare  of  brutality  and  hypocrisy  that  he 
selected  as  Metropolitan,  first  such  a  good  man  as  the 
Archbishop  of  Kazan,  and  then  as  his  sucessor  the  man 
most  renowned  all  over  Russia  for  his  saintliness — 
Philip,  Abbot  of  the  Solovietsk  Monastery. 

All  the  years  in  which  Ivan  had  been  employed  in 


IVAN  THE   TERRIBLE  167 

destroying  and  pulling  down,  this  man  had  spent  in 
building  up  and  developing  not  only  the  spiritual  but 
also  the  material  and  civic  life  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  most  northern  parts  of  Russia.  From  the  famous 
monastery  on  the  island  of  Solovka  in  the  White  Sea, 
this  born  ruler  of  men  and  brilliant  organizer  spread 
civilization  over  all  the  lands  under  his  spiritual 
jurisdiction.  The  monastery,  founded  in  1429  on  an 
uninhabited  island,  had  become  one  of  the  richest  and 
most  important  in  Russia,  boyars  and  other  citizens  of 
Novgorod  having  from  time  to  time  liberally  endowed 
it  with  property  on  the  mainland. 

Philip,  whose  secular  name  was  Feodor,  was  born  in 
1507,  his  father,  the  boyar  Stefan  Kolyetchev,  occupying 
at  the  time  a  high  position  at  the  Court  of  the  Tsar 
Vassili  III.  Feodor  had  been  a  playmate  of  the  young 
Tsar  Ivan,  and,  so  it  is  reported,  was  much  beloved  by 
him.  The  young  boyar  became  a  gallant  warrior,  and 
even  took  an  active  part  in  the  administration  of  the 
country  ;  but  to  one  of  such  lofty  and  pure  character 
the  worldly  life,  as  it  was  then,  had  no  lasting  attractions. 
Therefore,  when  thirty  years  of  age,  he  decided  to 
dedicate  his  life  to  the  service  of  God,  and  with  this 
intent  he  left  the  capital  with  all  its  pomp  and  luxury, 
behind  him,  and  wandered  some  1,500  versts  on  foot 
through  the  endless  forest  and  bog-land  of  northern 
Russia,  until  he  reached  the  Solovietsk  Monastery. 
There  he,  the  one-time  courtier  and  warrior,  was  shriven, 
receiving  the  name  of  Philip,  and,  living  as  a  humble 
monk,  endeared  himself  to  all  the  brethren  by  his  great 
piety  and  charm  of  personality.  Ten  years  later  he 
became  Abbot,  having  been  chosen  for  this  honour  by 


1 68  SOME    RUSSIAN   HEROES 

his  predecessor.  It  was  a  blessed  day  for  the  people 
of  Solovietsk  when  Philip  became  their  head,  and  for 
twenty  years  he  exercised  his  great  administrative 
qualities  for  the  benefit  of  the  community. 

The  monastery  was  situated  some  400  versts  from 
the  spot  where  the  town  of  Archangel  stands.  The 
Solovietsk  domain  included  six  islands,  dotted  all  over 
with  lakes,  the  three  chief  ones  alone  containing  no  less 
than  300,  some  several  miles  long.  These  apparently 
useless  islands  were  turned  to  excellent  account  by 
the  practical  Abbot,  who  had  many  of  the  lakes  linked 
together  by  canals,  and  others  drained.  By  his  order 
the  marshland  was  converted  into  meadow-land,  stony 
ground  covered  with  earth,  and  poor  soil  enriched  with 
manure.  Thus  was  all  the  waste  land  reclaimed  and 
made  into  fruitful  fields.  He  imported  cattle  as  well 
as  reindeer,  taught  the  peasants  how  to  increase  their 
stock  by  systematic  breeding,  and  created  new  indus- 
tries, such  as  brick-making,  salt-evaporating  and  the 
tanning  of  hides.  It  was  absolutely  necessary  for  the 
community  to  be  entirely  self-supporting  and  indepen- 
dent of  the  outer  world,  since  from  October  to  May 
all  communication  from  the  mainland  was  cut  off. 

This  monastery  was  always  held  in  favour  by  Ivan, 
who  frequently  sent  presents  to  it,  among  them  a 
church  bell  and  several  cannon,  with  ammunition,  for 
protection  against  Swedish  raiders.  He  also  favoured 
it  by  remitting  taxation  on  the  salt,  which  was  sold  in 
all  parts  of  the  country,  and  which  was  the  principal 
source  of  income  to  the  people  of  Solovietsk.  This 
last  privilege  was  granted  at  the  Abbot's  request. 
Philip  further  provided  for  the  needs  of  the  people 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  169 

by  building  churches,  hospitals  and  hostels  ;  for, 
during  the  summer  months,  large  numbers  of  pilgrims 
found  their  way  to  the  monastery,  the  renown  of  which 
had  spread  all  over  the  empire.  He  introduced  not 
merely  material  but  also  civic  and  moral  benefits  :  he 
organized  local  self-government  amongst  the  peasantry, 
teaching  them  the  blessings  of  order,  labour  and  thrift, 
and  doing  his  utmost  to  make  all  those  under  his 
jurisdiction  moral,  sober  and  diligent.  His  sanctified 
common-sense,  great  intellectual  powers,  and  fine  sense 
of  legality,  had  made  the  wise  and  energetic  Abbot  a 
valuable  member  of  the  ecclesiastical  Council  which, 
under  the  auspices  of  Sylvester,  had  tried  to  reorganize 
the  Church.  This  was  the  man  whom  Ivan  now 
selected  to  fill  the  post  of  Metropolitan. 

When  the  order  to  appear  before  the  Tsar  reached 
Philip,  he  had  not  even  an  inkling  of  what  it  portended. 
On  arriving  at  the  capital,  however,  he  found  out  what 
was  in  store  for  him,  and  his  upright  soul  revolted  at 
the  very  idea  of  it.  At  first  he  categorically  refused 
to  fill  such  a  position  while  the  Opritchnina  existed  ; 
but  he  was  urged  by  the  Council  of  Bishops  to  recon- 
sider his  decision,  for  at  that  time  he  was  the  most 
acceptable  candidate  to  all  parties.  The  bishops  also 
tried  to  persuade  him  to  ignore  the  Tsar's  behaviour, 
but  to  this  he  replied,  u  Do  not  let  yourselves  be 
influenced  by  the  fact  that  the  boyars  keep  silent,  they 
are  tied  by  material  considerations  ;  but  we,  who  have 
thrown  off  the  shackles  of  the  world  so  that  we  may 
be  free  to  serve  the  truth,  we  are  bound  to  give  our 
lives  for  the  flock.  If  we  fail  in  this,  we  shall  deserve 
to  suffer  the  pains  of  hell."  The  bold  words  of  Philip 


170  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

annoyed  many  of  the  Council,  but,  anxious  to  please 
the  Tsar,  they  nevertheless  expressed  their  willingness 
to  elect  him. 

In  an  interview  with  Ivan,  Philip  promised  to  accede 
to  his  demand  on  condition  that  he  dissolved  the 
Opritchniki,  and  that  the  extermination  of  the  boyars 
was  put  an  end  to.  Philip  did  not  mince  matters  with 
the  Tsar,  but  told  him  plainly  that  his  deeds  were  not 
pleasing  to  God,  and  that  "  the  Lord  himself  hath  said, 
c  A  kingdom  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand.' 
Upon  actions  such  as  these,"  he  added,  "  I  cannot  and 
will  not  bestow  my  blessing  !  "  The  Tsar,  anxious  to 
excuse  himself,  replied,  "  Vladyika,  there  are  many 
who  have  risen  up  against  me  and  who  seek  to  devour 
me  !  "  "  Nay,"  said  the  Abbot  ;  "  believe  me,  no  man 
meditates  evil  against  thee.  The  eye  of  God  is  over 
all.  From  our  fathers  we  have  received  the  law  to 
honour  the  Tsar.  Give  thou  the  people  a  good 
example  by  thy  righteous  deeds.  Believe  me,  sin  is 
thrusting  thee  into  fiery  Gehenna  ;  Christ  our  Lord, 
the  Vladyika  of  us  all,  has  commanded  to  love  God 
and  our  neighbour  ;  therein  is  the  law  !  "  This  an- 
gered Ivan,  who  now  no  longer  requested  but  ordered 
Philip  to  let  himself  be  elected  Metropolitan,  to  which 
command  the  intrepid  Abbot  responded  with  the 
following  words  :  "  Even  should  I  be  made  Metro- 
politan by  force,  I  foresee  that  it  will  not  be  for  long, 
but  if  the  Opritchniki  were  dismissed,  and  the  land 
reunited  as  it  was  before,  all  would  be  well."  What 
an  effect  this  firm  attitude  had  upon  the  Tyrant,  who 
had  never  before  been  opposed  so  calmly  and  boldly, 
can  well  be  imagined.  Things  seemed  to  have  come  to 


IVAN  THE   TERRIBLE  171 

a  deadlock  till  at  last  Philip  consented  to  be  made 
Metropolitan,  hoping  that  at  least  the  holding  of  such 
a  position  would  enable  him  to  act  as  a  restraint  upon 
the  Tsar.  Indeed,  for  a  time  it  did  seem  as  if  he  were 
going  to  succeed  ;  for  Ivan's  career  of  crime  was 
arrested  for  the  moment  and  men  began  to  breathe 
more  freely. 

Like  a  searchlight  which  appears  but  for  a  few 
moments  on  the  midnight  sky,  so  does  the  personality 
of  the  Metropolitan  light  up  the  darkness  of  Ivan's 
reign,  making  that  darkness  appear  still  more  dark. 
Not  for  long,  however,  did  this  respite  last  ;  the 
storm  soon  broke  out  afresh.  Once  again  Ivan  gave 
full  rein  to  his  lust  for  torture  and  bloodshed  ;  where- 
upon the  Metropolitan  took  him  apart  privately  and 
expostulated  with  him,  but  in  vain.  A  new  tragedy 
began  to  be  staged,  and  for  a  time  all  eyes  were  turned 
upon  the  two  strong  men  who  were  measuring  their 
strength  the  one  against  the  other  ;  the  one  clothed 
in  the  white  robe  of  innocence  and  righteousness,  the 
other  in  the  sullied  garment  of  lust  and  power.  A 
conflict  between  them  was  inevitable,  and  its  issue  was 
a  foregone  conclusion. 

As  a  faithful  shepherd,  Philip  felt  himself  compelled 
to  intercede  on  behalf  of  those  boyars  who  had  been 
practically  outlawed  by  the  Tsar.  On  one  such 
occasion,  when  Ivan  had  been  justifying  his  actions  by 
reiterating  his  contention  that  he  was  surrounded  by 
traitors  and  therefore  deserved  the  Metropolitan's 
blessing  and  support,  and  Philip  was  endeavouring  to 
point  out  to  him  the  groundlessness  of  his  suspicions, 
Ivan  shouted  "  Hush  !  be  quiet,  I  tell  you  !  "  to  which 


172  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

the  Metropolitan  calmly  answered,  "  My  silence 
would  lead  thee  into  sin  and  the  nation  to  destruction. 
I  must  speak  even  at  the  risk  of  arousing  thy  dis- 
pleasure, for  the  Lord  has  commanded  us  to  lay  down 
our  lives  for  the  brethen."  "  Don't  contradict  Our 
Majesty,"  screamed  the  irate  Tsar,  "lest  in  my  fury  I 
fall  upon  thee.  Why  dost  thou  not  resign  thine 
office  ? "  To  this  Philip  replied  with  dignity  :  "  This 
honour  was  not  of  my  seeking,  and  well  thou  knowest 
that  I  have  used  neither  influence  nor  money  to  obtain 
it  ;  but  if  thou  desirest  to  act  contrary  to  the  law,  do 
so,  and,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  the  day  which  brings 
my  career  to  a  close  will  find  me  ready." 

As  all  private  admonitions  had  proved  fruitless, 
the  Metropolitan  now  decided  to  remonstrate  with  the 
Tsar  in  public.  One  day  Ivan,  accompanied  by  the 
Opritchniki,  entered  the  cathedral  and,  approaching  the 
officiating  Metropolitan,  asked  him  for  his  blessing. 
Philip,  however,  went  on  with  the  service,  apparently 
quite  unconscious  of  the  Tsar's  presence.  A  second 
and  a  third  request  for  blessing  were  as  steadily  ignored 
as  the  first.  Thereupon,  one  of  the  Opritchniki  called 
out,  "  Holy  Vladyika  !  it  is  the  Tsar  himself  who  is 
craving  thy  blessing  !  "  It  was  then  only  that  the 
Metropolitan  looked  the  Tsar  in  the  face  and,  in  a  stern 
voice,  addressed  him  thus  :  "  Whom  dost  thou  think 
to  please  by  this  masquerading  ?  Thou  shouldst  fear 
God  and  respect  the  royal  purple.  Never  since  the  sun 
first  shone  in  the  heavens  has  such  a  thing  been  seen, 
that  a  ruler  should  so  dishonour  his  own  royalty.  How 
long  wilt  thou  continue  to  spill  the  blood  of  thine  own 
loyal  people  ?  How  long  is  such  unrighteousness  to 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  173 

reign  supreme  in  the  Russian  lands  ?  The  very 
heathen  have  laws  and  rights,  only  Russia  has  none. 
Everywhere  else  those  in  authority  are  generally 
merciful,  even  towards  the  guilty,  but  in  our  country 
there  is  no  pity  even  for  the  innocent  and  the  just. 
Remember,  that  although  God  has  placed  thee  on  a 
throne,  thou  art  but  mortal  ;  he  will  require  at  thy 
hand  the  innocent  blood  that  thou  hast  shed.  If  the 
people  do  not  raise  their  voice,  the  very  stones  will  cry 
out  against  thee,  and  I  at  least  must  tell  thee  this,  even 
if  I  die  for  it."  Choking  with  rage,  the  Tsar  banged 
the  floor  with  his  stick,  crying  out  hoarsely,  "  I  have 
been  far  too  pious  ;  now,  however,  O  Metropolitan,  I 
will  give  thee,  thy  clergy  and  the  Empire  something 
to  complain  of  !  " 

The  next  night,  when  all  were  asleep,  the  Opritch- 
niki,  forcing  their  way  into  the  houses  of  the  boyars, 
dragged  the  wives  from  their  husbands'  sides  and 
brought  the  unfortunate  women  into  the  open  square, 
where  the  Tsar,  after  keeping  several  back  for  himself, 
handed  over  the  others  to  his  creatures.  This  night 
attack  was  the  signal  for  a  general  butchery.  The 
next  day  the  Tsar,  accompanied  by  his  inhuman 
followers,  rode  forth  to  extirpate  the  boyars,  and 
for  five  weeks  hell  was  let  loose — no  woman  was 
safe  from  death,  violation  and  shame,  over  which  Ivan 
gloated  with  fiendish  delight. 

Having  glutted  himself  with  blood,  Ivan  again 
attended  the  cathedral.  The  Metropolitan,  seeing 
that  one  of  the  Opritchniki  had  kept  his  cap  on,  asked 
the  Tsar  to  order  his  followers  to  show  at  least  out- 
ward respect  to  the  sacred  place.  Quick  as  lightning, 


174  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

the  culprit  snatched  off  his  cap,  therefore  when  Ivan 
looked  round  and  saw  that  every  head  was  bared,  he 
accused  the  Metropolitan  of  merely  seeking  a  pretence 
to  humble  him.  Barely  two  years  had  elapsed  since 
Philip  had  accepted  the  high  dignity  thrust  upon  him, 
and  already  his  career  was  drawing  to  an  end.  The 
Tsar  as  usual  sought  a  pretext  for  the  illegal  act  he  was 
meditating  and,  instead  of  merely  killing  his  in- 
convenient accuser,  planned  to  humiliate  the  noble 
prelate  by  dragging  him  through  the  mire  of  calumny. 
Never  should  it  be  said  that  Philip  had  been  deposed 
for  fearlessly  and  faithfully  upholding  the  right.  No, 
he  was  to  be  disgraced  and  deposed  for  crimes  he  had 
never  committed.  The  Tsar  found  ready  tools  for  the 
carrying  out  of  his  scheme  in  zealous,  time-serving 
ecclesiastics.  There  were,  amongst  others,  the  Bishop 
of  Novgorod  who  coveted  Philip's  position,  the  Bishop 
of  Suzdal  and  the  father-confessor  of  the  Tsar.  The 
Tsar  sent  a  few  of  them  to  Solovietsk  where,  by  means 
of  promises  and  threats,  the  abbot  who  had  succeeded 
Philip,  and  ten  aged  monks,  were  prevailed  upon  to 
bear  witness  to  misappropriation  of  funds  and  other 
illegalities  supposed  to  have  been  committed  by  Philip 
during  his  career  as  abbot.  The  unsuspecting 
Metropolitan  was  suddenly  cited  to  appear  before  the 
Tsar,  whom  he  found  surrounded  by  bishops.  Accused 
of  these  crimes,  he  replied  with  all  the  calm  dignity  of 
one  whose  conscience  is  absolutely  clear,  addressing 
Ivan  in  these  words  :  "  O  Tsar  and  Grand  Duke, 
thinkest  thou  that  1  am  afraid  to  die  for  a  just  cause  ? 
I  shall  not  waste  words  in  justifying  myself.  I  have 
spent  thirty  years  in  Solovietsk  honestly,  soberly  and 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  175 

righteously,  and  no  one  can  convict  me  of  unfaithfulness 
or  vice.  I  commit  my  soul  unto  God  who  gave  it, 
and  who  will  be  thy  Judge.  I  would  fain  leave  an 
unsullied  memory  behind  me,  and  therefore  would 
rather  die  a  martyr's  death  than  have  it  said  that  I 
preferred  life  under  such  a  rule  of  evil.  Do  to  me 
what  thou  wilt  :  take  from  me  my  robes  of  office,"  and 
then,  turning  to  the  bishops,  he  added  :  "  My  spiritual 
brethren,  feed  the  sheep  for  which  you  are  responsible 
to  God  and  fear  not  him  who  can  hurt  the  body,  but 
only  Him  who  can  destroy  the  soul !  "  Even  as  he 
was  speaking,  he  divested  himself  of  mitre  and  cope, 
and  then  walked  quietly  out  of  the  room. 

That  Philip  should  have  the  last  word  and  make 
a  dignified  departure  did  not  please  the  Tsar,  who 
called  him  back  and  with  a  ferocious  scowl  said  mock- 
ingly :  "  Thou  thinkest  thus  cunningly  to  escape  trial, 
but  thou  shalt  not  be  permitted  to  be  thine  own 
judge,  thou  shalt  be  judged  and  condemned  by 
others.  Re-vest  thyself,  put  on  thy  mitre^and  cope, 
and  on  St.  Michael's  Day  thou  shalt  once  more 
officiate  in  the  cathedral."  In  silence  the  noble  old 
man  did  as  he  was  bidden. 

St.  Michael's  Day  arrived,  and  when  the  Metro- 
politan, robed  in  his  sacerdotal  vestments,  was  in  the 
act  of  celebrating  Mass,  some  Opritchniki  suddenly 
rushed  in,  and  falling  upon  him,  tore  the  vestments 
from  off  his  back,  flung  around  him  a  ragged  monk's 
habit,  and  led  him  out  of  the  cathedral.  He  was 
then  chained  and  driven  away  in  a  common  sledge, 
the  very  traces  which  it  left  in  the  snow  being  swept 
away  by  the  brooms  of  the  Opritchniki.  On  reaching 


1 76  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

his  destination,  he  was  flung  into  a  cell,  the  first  in- 
tention being  to  let  him  die  there  of  starvation  ;  but, 
after  two  days,  the  order  came  to  transfer  him  to  a 
monastery  at  Tver  where  he  was  kept  in  solitary  con- 
finement. Some  time  later  he  was  smothered  by 
Malyuta  Skouratov,  by  order  of  the  Tsar.  Thus  did 
Philip  die  a  martyr's  death,  and  Ivan  breathed  more 
freely  now  that  there  was  no  John  the  Baptist  to  make 
him  uncomfortable. 

This  last  restraining  influence  removed,  the  Tsar 
gave  himself  up  more  than  ever  to  licentiousness  and 
crime.  It  no  longer  satisfied  him  to  torture  and  kill 
individuals  or  even  entire  families — whole  towns  were 
to  become  material  for  his  sport.  He  now  rode  forth 
to  make  war  upon  his  own  subjects — on  the  citizens 
of  Tver,  Novgorod  and  Pskov,  and  this,  not  for  any 
wrong  they  had  themselves  committed,  but  as  revenge 
for  the  independent  attitude  of  the  proud  republics 
towards  his  remote  ancestors  in  days  gone  by.  Nov- 
gorod was  the  principal  victim  of  this  retrospective 
revenge,  but  en  route  thither  his  chastening  hand  fell 
upon  Tver  whose  princes  had  withstood  Dmitri  Don- 
skoi  two  hundred  years  earlier.  The  first  in  this  city 
to  suffer  were  the  high  ecclesiastics  ;  the  Opritchniki 
ransacked  their  houses  as  well  as  monasteries  and 
churches  and  then  rode  away.  The  frightened  citizens 
heaved  a  sigh  of  relief  and  thanked  God  that  they, 
at  least,  had  been  spared,  but  some  hours  later 
the  Tsar's  bodyguard  returned  and  pillaged  all  the 
houses,  flinging  the  furniture  into  the  streets  and 
setting  fire  to  it.  No  lives  were  taken,  however,  and 
for  that  mercy  the  people  felt  grateful,  but  hardly  had 


THE    LAST    MOMENTS   OF   THE    METROPOLITAN    PHILIP. 
From  the  painting  by  N.  Novofikollssv. 


IVAN    THE   TERRIBLE  177 

they  brought  themselves  to  this  philosophical  state 
of  mind  when  once  more  the  human  bloodhounds 
reappeared,  this  time  to  massacre  the  unfortunate  citi- 
zens. Having  finished  their  work  in  Tver,  the  caval- 
cade of  death-bringers  rode  on  to  Novgorod.  There 
such  a  wholesale  massacre  was  perpetrated  that  the 
streets  ran  with  blood,  and  the  river  Volkhof,  its 
waters  dyed  red,  was  dammed  up  with  corpses.  Sixty 
thousand  loyal  citizens  were  thus  done  to  death  in 
Novgorod,  amongst  them  Bishop  Pimen,  Philip's 
principal  accuser. 

In  an  incredibly  short  time  the  news  of  these  doings 
reached  Pskov,  the  inhabitants  of  which  realized  that 
their  turn  would  come  next.  Conscious  that  no  escape 
was  possible,  they  prepared  their  souls  for  death,  and 
the  first  sound  which  met  the  ear  of  Ivan  as  he  neared 
the  city  was  the  ringing  of  the  church  bells,  calling 
the  doomed  citizens  to  prayer.  This  pleased  the 
Tyrant,  for  he  guessed  what  the  tolling  of  the  bells 
implied.  As  he  rode  into  the  city,  his  vanity  and 
pride  of  power  were  flattered  by  the  humble,  abject 
attitude  of  the  crowd  which  knelt  in  supplication 
before  him  ;  but  who  can  account  for  the  Tsar's 
whims  ?  Some  say  that  an  idiot  came  up  and  handed 
him  a  piece  of  raw  meat,  and  as  these  unfortunates 
were  considered  sacred  in  those  days,  the  Tsar  deigned 
to  answer  him,  saying  :  a  I  am  a  good  Christian,  and 
therefore  do  not  eat  meat  on  fast  days,"  to  which  the 
idiot  replied  :  "  Thou  dost  worse,  for  thou  devourest 
human  flesh."  Whatever  may  have  been  the  cause, 
it  pleased  Ivan  to  spare  these  people  who  had  already 
tasted  of  the  bitterness  of  death. 


178  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

After  Philip's  death,  Ivan  reigned  another  eighteen 
years,  and  ever  darker  grew  the  shadows  which  lay 
upon  Russia.  There  were  wars  without  and  disorders 
within.  The  lawlessness  of  the  Opritchniki  had  cor- 
rupted the  rest  of  the  population.  Knights  and 
peasants,  deprived  of  house  and  home  by  their 
oppressors,  had  gathered  themselves  together  and 
formed  robber  bands,  finding  their  only  place  of 
security  in  the  dark  forests. 

Ivan's  wars  were  unsuccessful,  and  both  the  Polish 
King  and  the  Khan  of  the  Crimea  sent  him  taunting, 
humiliating  letters  which  wounded  his  vanity.  They 
called  him  a  coward  and  a  hangman  ;  for  when  the 
hordes  of  the  Crimean  Tatars  invaded  Russia  and 
attacked  his  capital,  "  the  Emperor  fled  from  the 
field  and  many  of  his  people  were  carried  away  by 
the  Crimme  Tatars — to  wit,  all  young  people.  ..." 
The  Zemshtchina  boyars,  who  alone  were  left  to 
defend  Moscow,  were  unable  to  do  so.  The  city  was 
set  on  fire  by  the  Tatars,  and  from  that  palace  on  the 
Sparrow  Hills  from  which  Ivan  had  witnessed  the 
first  great  conflagration,  the  Tatar  Khan  now  watched 
the  sea  of  flames  as  its  waves  rose  heavenwards,  turn- 
ing night  into  day.  One  of  the  foreigners  then  in 
Moscow,  thus  describes  this  catastrophe — 

"They  set  fire  on  all  sides,  so  that  it  seemed  a 
burning  globe  :  then  did  arise  so  fierce  and  violent 
a  wind,  that  it  drove  the  rafters  and  long  trees  from 
the  suburbs  into  the  city.  The  conflagration  was  so 
sudden,  that  no  one  had  time  to  save  himself,  but  in 
that  place  where  he  was  then.  The  persons  that  were 
burned  in  this  fire  were  above  two  hundred  thousand, 


IVAN  THE   TERRIBLE  179 

which  did  happen  because  the  houses  were  all  of 
wood  ;  and  the  streets  paved  with  great  fir  trees,  set 
close  together,  which  being  oily  and  resinous,  made 
the  incendy  inexpressible  ;  so  that  in  a  few  hours 
the  city  and  suburbs  were  wholly  consumed.  Many 
lords  and  gentlemen  were  stifled  in  the  caves  where 
they  had  retired,  because  their  houses  being  made 
of  great  trees,  when  they  fell,  crushed  down  all  that 
was  underneath  ;  others  being  consumed  to  ashes, 
stopped  all  the  exits  so  that  for  want  of  air  the  people 
all  perished.  The  poor  country  people  that  had  saved 
themselves  in  the  city  with  their  cattle,  from  three- 
score miles  round  about,  seeing  the  conflagration,  ran 
all  into  the  market-place,  which  was  not  paved  with 
wood  with  the  rest  ;  nevertheless,  they  were  all  roasted 
there,  in  such  sort  that  the  tallest  man  seemed  but  a 
child,  so  much  had  the  fire  contracted  their^limbs,  and 
this  by  reason  of  the  great  houses  that  were  round 
about  ;  a  thing  more  hideous  and  frightful  than  any 
could  imagine.  In  many  places  of  the  market,  the 
bodies  were  piled  one  upon  another,  to  the  height  of 
half  a  pike  ;  which  put  me  into  a  wonderful  admira- 
tion, being  not  able  to  understand  how  it  was  possible 
they  should  be  so  heaped  together.  This  wonderful 
conflagration  caused  all  the  fortifications  of  the  town 
wall  to  fall,  and  all  the  ordnance  that  were  upon  it 
to  burst.  The  walls  were  made  of  brick,  according 
to  the  ancient  way  of  building,  without  either  fortifi- 
cations or  ditches.  Many  that  had  saved  themselves 
amidst  the  walls,  were  nevertheless  roasted ;  amongst 
them  many  Italians  and  Walloons  of  my  acquaintance." 
According  to  official  records  80,000  lives  were 


180  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

lost,  and  it  took  two  months  to  clear  the  ground  of 
corpses.  The  only  buildings  which  remained  standing 
were  those  enclosed  within  the  walls  of  the  Kremlin. 
There  is  evidently,  however,  something  of  the  phoenix 
about  Moscow,  for  every  time  it  has  been  burned 
down  it  has  risen  from  its  ashes  with  fresh  vigour  and 
beauty. 

"  What  with  the  Crimme  on  the  one  side  and  with  his 
cruelties  on  the  other,  we  have  but  few  people  left," 
wrote  Richard  Chancellor  after  this  event — a  very 
different  judgment  from  his  former  one,  for  when  this 
first  Englishman  to  visit  Russia  recorded  his  earlier 
impressions,  they  were  very  favourable  to  its  ruler. 

All  the  Tsar  did  was  witnessed  by  the  foreign 
ambassadors,  and  the  Lithuanian  envoys  were  struck  by 
the  grotesque  side  of  Ivan's  character  quite  as  much  as 
by  its  terribleness.  It  is  from  them  that  we  get  the 
description  of  his  entry  into  Moscow  on  horseback, 
with  a  bow  slung  across  his  back,  a  dog's  head  dangling 
from  his  horse's  neck,  and  beside  him  his  fool  riding 
on  a  bullock.  The  buffoonery  of  Ivan  took  a  variety 
of  forms  :  for  instance,  he  dubbed  a  baptised  Tatar, 
Prince  Simeon  Bekbulatovitch,  "Tsar  of  all  Russia," 
retaining  for  himself  merely  the  dignity  of  Grand  Duke 
of  Muscovy.  For  nine  months  his  puppet  sat  upon 
the  throne  of  Muscovy  while  Ivan  amused  himself  by 
cringing  before  him  in  humility,  and  writing  petitions 
to  Tsar  Simeon.  Even  foreign  ambassadors  were 
expected  to  appear  before  the  sham  Tsar,  but  the 
Oriental  envoys  refused  to  do  so.  [At  the  same  time 
an  Austrian  embassy  was  received  by  Ivan  in  person  in 
order  not  to  let  them  think  that  he  had  fully  abdicated  ; 


IVAN    THE   TERRIBLE  181 

but  they  saw  him  in  Mosjaisk  and  not  in  Moscow.] 
Ivan  made  good  use  of  his  puppet,  allowing  all  the 
onus  of  what  amounted  to  confiscation  of  Church 
property  to  fall  upon  him. 

"  Towards  the  end  of  the  yeere,  hee  caused  this  newe 
king  to  call  in  all  charters  graunted  to  bishoprickes 
and  monasteries,  which  they  had  enjoyed  manie  hundred 
yeeres  before — which  were  all  cancelled.  This  done  (as 
in  dislike  of  the  fact  and  of  the  misgovernment  of  the 
new  king)  hee  resumed  his  scepter,  and  so  was  content 
(as  in  favour  to  the  church  and  religious  men)  that 
they  should  renew  their  charters  and  take  them  of 
himselfe  :  reserving  and  annexing  to  the  crowne  so 
much  of  their  lands  as  himselfe  thought  good.  By 
this  practise  hee  wrung  from  the  bishoprickes  and 
monasteries  (besides  the  landes  which  he  annexed  to 
the  crowne)  an  huge  masse  of  money.  From  some  40, 
from  some  50,  from  others  hundred  thousande  roubles. 
And  this  aswell  for  the  increase  of  his  treasurie,  as 
to  abate  the  ill  opinion  of  his  harde  government,  by  a 
shewe  of  woorse  in  an  other  man.  Wherein  his  strange 
spirite  is  to  bee  noted  :  that  beyng  hated  of  his  subjects 
(as  himselfe  knew  welinough)  yet  would  venture  such 
a  practise,  to  set  another  in  his  saddle,  that  might  have 
ridde  away  with  his  horse  while  himselfe  walked  by 
the  foote." 

When  wearied  of  this  farce  Ivan  thrust  his  puppet 
back  into  oblivion.  He  had  achieved  his  purpose.  To 
quote  again  Giles  Fletcher — 

"  All  tending  to  this  end — to  robbe  their  people  and 
to  inrich  their  treasurie.  To  this  purpose  this  byword 
was  used  by  the  late  emperour  Ivan  Vasilowich  :  That 


1 82  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

his  people  were  like  to  his  beard  ;  the  oftener  shaven, 
the  thicker  it  would  grow.  Or  like  sheepe,  that  must 
needes  be  shorne  once  a  yeere  at  the  least,  to  keepe 
them  from  being  overladen  with  their  wooll." 

Ivan  invented  ever  new  means  of  extortion,  even  to 
the  verge  of  the  absurd  ;  for  instance,  to  quote  the 
English  Ambassador — 

"  He  sent  to  a  certain  city  to  provide  him  a  colpack 
or  cap  full  of  live  fleas  for  a  medicine.  They  returned 
answer  that  the  thing  was  impossible  and  if  they  could 
get  them  yet  they  could  not  measure  them  for  leaping 
out.  Whereupon  he  prayed  or  beat  out  of  their 
skinnes  7,000  roubles  for  a  mulcet.  .  .  .  This  may 
seem  a  strange  kind  of  extortion,  by  such  pleasant 
cavils  to  flies  his  poor  subjects  in  good  sadnesse  ;  but 
that  it  agreeth  with  the  qualities  of  these  Emperours 
and  the  miserable  subjection  of  that  poore  countrie." 

The  fact  that  Ivan  had  reached  the  stage  in  which 
whole  towns  had  to  be  destroyed  to  satisfy  his  cravings, 
did  not  preclude  him  from  inventing  ever  new  tortures 
for  individuals.  No  one  was  safe,  for  he  spared 
neither  age  nor  sex,  nor  was  the  most  influential  position 
or  even  the  closest  tie  of  love  or  kinship,  any  protec- 
tion. He  now  proceeded  to  vent  his  rage  upon  those 
who  had  witnessed  against  Philip.  Indeed,  Church 
dignitaries,  righteous  and  unrighteous  alike,  were 
especially  made  to  suffer  at  this  period.  A  characteristic 
epitaph  was  that  inscribed  on  the  tomb  of  the  Abbot 
of  the  Peshtcherski  Monastery  :  "  By  means  of  his 
spike,  the  earthly  Tsar  sent  him  to  the  Heavenly 
Tsar  " — this  being  a  euphemistic  description  of  that 
prelate's  murder  at  the  hands  of  Ivan. 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  183 

One  may  well  ask  how  it  was  that  no  one  rose 
up  to  depose  such  a  ruler.  The  more  one  studies 
the  history  of  the  time,  the  clearer  it  becomes  that 
the  quiescence  of  the  people  was  due  to  the  peculiar 
social  and  psychological  conditions  of  those  days. 
The  boyars  were  well  aware  that  they  were  no  longer 
indispensable  to  the  ruler  of  Muscovy,  as  they  had 
been  during  the  period  of  its  development.  With 
the  exception  of  Kourbski,  who,  from  his  place  of 
voluntary  exile,  poured  forth  his  pent-up  feelings  in 
letters  to  the  autocrat,  none  of  them  ventured  to 
oppose  him  or  to  make  any  effort  to  stem  the  tide 
of  his  wrath — they  all  resigned  themselves  to  the 
inevitable.  Richard  Chancellor,  in  his  attempt  to  ex- 
plain the  inexplicable  attitude  of  servitude  adopted 
by  the  whole  nation,  suggests  the  following  solution  : 
a  I  compare  them  to  a  young  horse  that  knoweth  not 
its  strength,  whom  a  little  child  ruleth  and  guideth 
with  a  bridle  for  all  his  great  strength  ;  for  if  he  did, 
neither  childe  nor  man  could  rule  him  .  .  .  thus,  if 
they  knew  their  strength,  no  one  man  were  able  to 
make  match  with  them." 

We  know  the  fate  which  overtook  those  who  dared 
to  criticize  the  Tsar,  and  therefore  cannot  but  admire 
the  brave  boyar  who,  it  is  recorded,  called  out,  one 
day  at  dinner,  when  Ivan  had  evidently  been  sug- 
gesting some  new  form  of  frightf ulness  :  "  Not  only 
dost  thou  drink  blood  thyself,  but  thou  also  con- 
strainest  us  to  mingle  blood  with  our  meat."  The 
iron  spike  quickly  silenced  him  for  ever.  Again, 
it  is  refreshing  to  read  of  the  presence  of  mind  and 
disregard  of  consequences  displayed  by  a  rich  mer- 


i84  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

chant  of  Novgorod  named  Feodor  Semenov  in  the 
face  of  torture.  This  man  had  been  let  down  by 
a  rope  into  the  river  in  order  to  extort  from  him 
the  hiding-place  of  his  treasure,  and  when  drawn 
up  again  he  was  asked  by  Ivan,  "  What  did  you 
see  under  the  water  ? "  Semenov  replied  boldly  : 
"  Gracious  Lord,  I  saw  gathered  together  as  many 
devils  as  Lake  Ilmen,  Lake  Ladoga,  the  Baltic  Sea 
and  the  river  Volkhof  contain,  and  they  intend  to 
rob  thee  of  thy  soul  and  to  carry  it  to  the  uttermost 
depths  of  hell  !  "  The  result  of  this  taunt  was  that 
the  merchant  was  placed  with  his  legs  in  boiling  water 
until  he  confessed  where  he  had  hidden  his  treasure. 

If  it  seemed  strange  that  the  populace  of  Moscow 
apparently  showed  no  resentment  at  the  Tsar's  treat- 
ment of  the  boyars,  it  is  still  more  surprising  to  note 
that  no  outcry  was  made  when  thousands  of  humble 
citizens  were  slain,  as  was  the  case  at  Novgorod. 
The  Russian  people,  however,  had  for  centuries  been 
learning  in  the  school  of  suffering  to  submit  to  the 
apparently  inevitable,  and  to  bear  hardships  and  misery 
in  silence.  They  had  learned  their  lesson  only  too 
well  ;  and  so,  when  it  pleased  their  ruler  to  exercise 
autocratic  power,  their  only  feeling  was  one  of  grati- 
tude that  his  heavy  hand  did  not  fall  upon  them 
personally.  The  policy  adopted  by  rich  and  poor 
alike  was  to  keep  as  quiet  as  possible  and  to  pretend 
poverty  so  as  to  avoid  attracting  his  attention.  As 
to  the  clergy,  they  did  all  in  their  power  to  appease 
the  tyrant.  For  instance,  when  it  pleased  him  to 
marry  for  the  fourth  time,  the  ecclesiastical  law  was 
specially  altered,  in  order  to  render  the  act  legal. 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  185 

The  Tsar  put  a  liberal  interpretation  on  their  decision 
and  indulged  in  three  more  marriages  ;  but  the  fate 
of  his  wives  was  by  no  means  enviable. 

Each  marriage  was  usually  accompanied  by  a  com- 
plete change  of  entourage  and  the  murder  of  the 
relations  of  the  preceding  wife.  Wives  of  whom  he 
tired  were  either  sent  to  convents  or  simply  despatched 
to  another  world,  as  was  the  case  with  the  fifth  wife, 
who  was  drowned  on  the  day  after  her  wedding  on 
suspicion  of  having  once  cared  for  someone  else.  Of 
the  pond  into  which  she  was  thrown,  an  English 
eye-witness  wrote  :  "  It  was  full  of  huge  overgrowne 
picks,  carps,  and  other  fishes."  Many  such  victims 
were  drowned  in  it,  and  if  one  may  believe  eye- 
witnesses, "  the  fish  were  much  relished  at  His 
Majesty's  table." 

The  climax  of  Ivan's  homicidal  career  was  reached 
when  in  a  fit  of  fury  he  struck  his  own  son  with 
his  iron-spiked  stick.  Too  late  he  realized  what  he 
had  done — while  every  remedy  was  being  applied, 
the  distracted  father  crouched  on  the  floor  trying  to 
staunch  the  awful  flow  of  blood.  But  in  vain — 
human  skill  could  no  more  avail  to  save  the  Tsare- 
vitch's  life  than  the  remorse  and  utter  despair  of 
the  father  could  rid  his  soul  of  the  terrible  crime. 
Five  days  after  the  fatal  blow,  his  heir  died. 

Now  to  his  cup  of  blood  and  lust  was  added  a 
new  ingredient,  the  wormwood  of  remorse.  Haunted 
by  the  spectre  of  his  murdered  son,  Ivan  decided  to 
forsake  the  world  and  seek  refuge  within  the  precincts 
of  a  monastery.  He  told  the  boyars  that  he  intended 
abdicating  in  favour  of  his  son  Feodor,  a  weak- 


1 86  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

minded  youth.  They,  however,  fearing  lest  this  was 
only  a  new  trap,  pleaded  with  him  to  remain  on  the 
throne  at  least  until  the  war  with  Poland  was  con- 
cluded. Ivan  consented,  but  tried  to  find  some  relief 
for  his  tortured  conscience  by  sending  rich  gifts  to 
pay  for  prayers  offered  up  for  the  souls  of  his  victims. 
Solovietsk  received  500  roubles  for  prayers  for  the 
soul  of  his  murdered  son,  and  two  years  later  200 
roubles  more.  At  the  same  time  all  those  whom  he 
had  slain  came  to  his  remembrance  and,  by  way  of 
atoning  for  what  he  had  done — or  was  it  rather  with 
the  idea  of  bribing  heaven  ? — he  made  a  list  of  their 
names  which  he  sent  to  various  monasteries.  In  these 
"  synodics "  or  obituary  lists,  are  enumerated  the 
names  of  those  whom  he  had  either  killed  with  his 
own  hand  or  had  caused  to  be  tortured  to  death. 
Among  them  are  even  the  souls  of  the  ten  monks 
who  had  betrayed  Philip,  and  the  753  people  of 
Novgorod,  4<  done  to  death  by  Malyuta  Skouratov." 
Some  of  these  lists,  which  contained  hundreds  and 
even  thousands  of  names,  ended  abruptly  with  the 
remark,  "Thou,  Lord,  knowest  them  all."  One  can 
hardly  wonder  at  the  Tsar's  failing  to  register  all  the 
names  of,  for  instance,  the  60,000  victims  of  Nov- 
gorod, but  it  is  striking  that  Philip's  name  appears 
nowhere. 

Ivan  also  sent  money  to  the  monasteries  for  dis- 
tribution amongst  the  poor,  and  still  larger  sums  of 
money  to  pay  for  "  oil  for  God  " — for  the  lamps  in  the 
sanctuaries.  Did  he  really  imagine  that  he  could  buy  the 
favour  of  the  Almighty  with  such  gifts  as  fifty  roubles 
for  distribution  amongst  the  poor — when  it  lay  within 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE. 
From  the  painting  by  V.  M.  Vaznetsov,  in  the  Tretyakov  Gallery,  Moscow. 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  187 

his  power  to  make  a  whole  people  happy  by  merely 
abstaining  from  crime  ?  He  had,  however,  never 
grasped  even  that  most  elementary  principle  of  religion 
— "  mercy,  not  sacrifice."  v 

As  might  be  expected,  the  period  of  remorse  soon 
came  to  an  end,  and  after  the  brief  lull  the  storm  of 
carnage  broke  out  afresh  and  with  intensified  vigour. 
Ivan  now  introduced  into  his  torture  the  variety  of 
publicity,  and  in  the  square  of  the  Kremlin  were  erected 
eighteen  gallows  and  many  instruments  of  torture  by 
means  of  which  300  victims  were  to  be  put  to  death. 
The  citizens  fled  in  terror  and  shut  themselves  up  in 
their  houses,  much  to  the  disgust  of  Ivan,  who  sent 
round  heralds  to  reassure  the  people.  "  Come  out !  " 
they  cried,  <c  Come  out !  and  fear  no  evil !  "  To  the 
trembling  crowd  which  now  assembled,  Ivan  put  the 
question  :  "  Am  I  not  right  to  put  traitors  to  the 
torture  ? "  What  could  they  answer  ?  The  instinct 
of  self-preservation  inspired  the  shout  that  followed  : 
"  Hail  to  thee,  O  Tsar  !  May  they  meet  with  the 
punishment  they  deserve  !  "  Into  the  whole  nation 
had  been  instilled  the  belief  that  "  all  the  Tsar's  orders 
must  be  done,  for  here  the  rule  is  c  Hoc  volo,  sic  jubeo, 
sit  pro  ratione  voluntas.'  They  must  all  say  that 
all  he  does  and  says  is  well  and  good  and  that  his  will 
is  the  will  of  God." 

Two  years  after  his  son's  murder,  Ivan  fell  seriously 
ill  ;  foreign  doctors  were  called  in  whose  efforts  to 
relieve  him  availed  but  little — a  malignant  disease  was 
consuming  a  body  already  weakened  by  excesses.  Ivan 
did  not  want  to  die,  and  therefore  not  only  the  powers 
of  heaven  but  also  of  hell  were  to  be  moved  on  his 


1 88  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

behalf.  Prayers  for  his  life  were  offered  in  all  the 
churches,  and  a  famous  magician  was  fetched  all  the 
way  from  Lapland,  but  the  honest  old  wizard  merely 
predicted  the  day  of  his  death. 

Whenever  Ivan  experienced  a  little  relief  from 
the  almost  constant  pain,  his  relaxation  consisted  in 
plunging  his  hands  into  a  heap  of  precious  stones 
and  running  them  through  his  fingers.  He  loved 
to  study  their  qualities  and  the  influence  on  the 
spiritual  nature  of  man  which  superstition  ascribed  to 
them,  in  the  hope  of  finding  some  occult  antidote  for 
the  spell  which  he  was  convinced  had  been  cast  upon 
him.  His  moods  varied  according  to  his  physical 
condition,  hope  and  despair  alternately  swaying  him. 
When  he  felt  hopeless  he  prayed  himself,  and,  with 
a  request  that  they  would  pray  for  his  restoration  to 
health,  released  prisoners,  gave  alms  to  the  poor,  sent 
presents  of  food  to  the  prisoners  of  war,  even  promising 
to  set  them  free.  It  seems,  however,  that  there  was  no 
one — whether  Russian  or  foreigner — ready  to  comply 
with  his  request,  for  one  and  all  "  hated  him  in  whom 
nothing  was  human  but  his  outward  resemblance." 
Thus,  instead  of  praying  for  his  life  to  be  prolonged, 
they  did  the  contrary  and  prayed  that  "  God  would 
remove  from  the  face  of  the  earth  and  destroy  this 
horrible  monster  and  beast,  this  hellish  fiend  and 
ferocious  tyrant.'*  This  was  the  prayer  of  young  and 
old. 

When  he  was  more  at  ease,  Ivan  showed  himself  as 
ferocious  as  ever,  but  only  to  relapse,  when  the  pain 
suddenly  seized  him  again,  into  a  maudlin  state  of 
hypocritical  repentance. 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE  189 

Once  on  waking  up  from  a  protracted  swoon,  Ivan 
told  his  son  Feodor  that  he  had  been  suffering  torture 
in  some  horrible  dark  place.  Whereupon,  his  son 
ordered  fresh  prayers  to  be  read  for  his  agonized  father  ; 
but  only  a  feint  was  made  of  obeying  this  command,  for 
"  no  one  had  pity  on  the  Tsar,  all  desired  his  death,  and 
the  sooner  the  better.  The  old  people  trusted  that  it 
would  bring  them  deliverance,  and  the  children  that  it 
would  bring  back  to  them  their  parents — everybody 
hoped  for  better  days."  The  Tsar's  belief  in  the 
actual  existence  of  those  demons  which  he  had  seen 
depicted  on  ikons,  and  the  dread  of  falling  into  their 
hands,  caused  him  to  send  still  more  money  for  prayers 
to  be  said  for  the  souls  of  his  victims.  Did  the  memory 
of  their  sufferings  begin  to  haunt  him  ?  Did  he  see  in 
his  delirium  of  remorse  dogs  waiting  to  fling  themselves 
upon  him  to  devour  him  as  they  had  flung  themselves 
on  so  many  of  the  clergy,  who,  sewn  up  in  bear-skins, 
had  been  thrown  amongst  them  to  be  torn  limb  from 
limb  ?  Or  did  his  imagination  experience  the  agony  of 
being  flayed  alive  or  scratched  to  death  by  iron  claws  ? 
Did  his  nerves  quiver  under  the  sensation  of  being 
roasted  or  boiled  alive  ?  That  he  anticipated  some  such 
treatment  at  the  hands  of  the  inexorable  demons,  is 
evident  from  his  frantic  efforts  to  escape  their  clutches. 
He  was  willing  to  do  anything  to  placate  the  Higher 
Powers,  and  clung  desperately  to  the  hope  that,  if  all 
else  failed,  his  being  shriven  at  the  last  moment  would 
serve  as  a  passport  into  heaven. 

This,  however,  was  not  to  be.  One  day,  feeling  a 
little  more  at  ease  after  a  hot  bath,  the  dying  Tsar, 
wrapped  in  a  white  satin  kaftan  and  reclining  on  a 


190  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

couch,  began  to  play  a  game  of  chess,  when  suddenly 
he  fell  back.  Death  had  checkmated  him  1  The 
foreign  doctors  instantly  applied  restoratives,  but  in  vain. 
Hastily  the  priests  were  summoned,  but  all  they  could 
now  do  was  to  shrive  the  lifeless  form  of  Ivan.  What 
could  be  more  appropriate  in  such  a  case  than  the  prayer 
of  the  office  appointed  by  the  Church  to  be  read  over 
those  who  were  to  be  prepared  for  death  :  "  The  night 
of  death,  gloomy  and  moonless,  hath  overtaken  me,  still 
unprepared,  sending  me  forth  on  that  long  and 
dreadful  journey  !  " 

A  painter  seeking  to  sum  up  on  one  canvas  a  typical 
representation  of  the  crime-stained  life  of  Ivan  the 
Terrible,  might  well  paint  it  thus — The  towers  of  the 
Kremlin  silhouetted  against  a  midnight  sky  by  the  lurid 
light  of  Moscow  in  flames.  Below,  his  body  clothed  in 
the  sombre  garb  of  a  monk,  sits  the  Tsar,  his  head 
decked  with  a  crown  of  gold  glittering  with  gems.  He 
sits  on  a  costly  throne,  leaning  forward,  his  hands 
resting  upon  his  knees,  with  blood  dropping  from  his 
fingers.  His  attitude  is  that  of  one  who  is  watching 
something  intently.  Before  him  on  gorgeous  oriental 
carpets  lie  mutilated  bodies  of  bishops  and  boyars,  nuns 
and  fair  ladies,  youths  and  maidens,  and  even  infants  in 
arms,  over  all  of  whom  the  Tsar  is  evidently  gloating. 
Most  prominent  amongst  his  victims  is  the  lifeless 
form  of  his  own  son.  Ivan's  lips  are  parted  in  a  grin 
of  ferocious  delight,  but  in  his  eyes  there  is  the 
haunting  expression  of  terror  and  remorse.  On 
the  opposite  side  of  the  picture  stands  the  Metropolitan 
Philip,  his  robe  of  dazzling  white  contrasting  with  the 


IVAN   THE   TERRIBLE 


191 


midnight  sky,  and  above  his  head  the  martyr's  crown 
shimmering  like  a  star.  His  eyes  blazing  with 
righteous  indignation,  he  points  with  accusing  finger  at 
the  heaped-up  dead  whose  innocent  blood  sends  up 
from  the  ground  a  faint  red  vapour  that  envelops 
the  Tsar  ;  Ivan's  black  figure  is  thrown  into  relief  by 
the  red  light  from  the  flames  of  his  burning  Capital. 
Truly  a  study  in  black  and  red  ! 


THE  TSAR   IVAN    RECEIVING   VISITORS. 


CHAPTER  X 


HOW    YERMAK    CONQUERED    SIBERIA 

WING  to  the  sombre, 
almost  impenetrable 
forests  and  the  vast 
impassable  marshes 
which  separated 
them  from  the  rest 
of  Europe,  the 
people  of  Russia  in 
the  sixteenth  century 
were  as  completely 
hidden  from  view 
as  though  they  were 
enclosed  within  the 
walls  of  an  enchanted  castle,  and  lived  their  lives 
very  much  in  the  way  their  ancestors  had  done 
hundreds  of  years  earlier.  And  they  were  cut  off 
by  forest  and  marsh  not  only  from  their  neighbours 
of  alien  blood,  but  also  from  one  another,  so  that, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  network  of  rivers  which 
formed  a  means  of  communication,  there  would  have 
been  no  intercourse  amongst  them  of  any  kind — 
certainly  no  possibilities  of  trading.  But  the  "  provi- 
dence of  God "  was  watching  over  the  people,  "  for 

192 


RUSSIANS   CARRYING   BUNDLES    OF 
SABLE    SKINS,    1576. 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA     193 

that  much  of  the  country  being  so  farre  in-land,  as 
that  some  part  a  thousand  miles  and  more  away  from 
any  sea,  yet  it  is  served  with  fair  Rivers  and  that 
in  very  great  number,  that  emptying  themselves  one 
into  another,  runne  all  into  the  sea."  So  wrote  an 
English  Ambassador,  who  also  saw  God's  providence 
in  "  the  wealth  of  furry  animals,"  which,  he  contended, 
were  a  "naturall  remedie  against  the  climate  of  that 
country  in  winter,  for,"  says  he  :  cc  it  would  breede 
a  frost  in  a  man  to  look  abroad  at  that  time." 
Commerce  already  played  a  great  role  in  the  life  of 
the  Russians,  and  the  raw  products  of  their  vast  and 
fertile  country  were  exchanged  for  the  merchandise  of 
East  and  West. 

The  wares  exhibited  for  sale  at  the  markets  visited 
by  foreign  traders,  in  the  time  of  Ivan  the  Terrible, 
were  just  the  same  as  those  which  had  been  used  for 
barter  in  prehistoric  days,  and  the  reports  of  the 
English  merchants  of  the  "  Russia  Company "  con- 
firm the  tales  of  the  Arab  traders  of  the  ninth  century. 
An  advance  in  civilization  could  be  traced  in  the 
character  of  imports,  for  which  there  was  a  cons.tan.tly 
increasing  demand  in  Russia,  while  exports  changed 
little  from  century  to  century.  The  backwoodsman 
still  collected  honey  and  wax,  the  husbandman  still 
grew  corn,  flax,  and  hemp,  and  prepared  hides  and 
tallow,  and  the  trappers  still  found  ample  employment 
in  catching  wild  animals  for  their  skins.  The  rich 
people  of  other  countries,  though  not  exposed  to 
such  extremes  of  cold,  loved  to  trim  their  robes  with 
the  costly  furs  of  Russia,  for  which  there  was  always 
a  ready  market  :  ermine,  sable,  black,  red  and  white 
o 


194  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

fox,  marten,  and  dun-fox,  wolverine  and  squirrel  were 
much  in  demand  all  over  Europe. 

Up  to  the  time  of  Ivan  III  the  principal  trading 
centre  of  Russia  had  been  Novgorod,  "the  chiefest 
and  greatest  Marte  Towne  of  all  Russia,'*  which  had 
joined  the  Hanseatic  League,  and  the  "Deutsche  Hof " 
was  as  conspicuous  in  this  wealthy  and  important  city 
as  in  London.  Swedes  and  Poles,  Lithuanians  and 
Germans  visited  the  various  towns  to  which  the 
natural  wealth  of  Russia  was  carried  from  all  parts. 
Kiev,  after  being  sacked  by  the  Tatars,  had  lost  its 
commercial  importance,  but  the  northern  Republics, 
Novgorod  and  Pskov,  increased  in  influence  and 
territory  until  Ivan  III  and  Vassili  III  conquered 
the  free  cities  and  incorporated  their  possessions, 
which  included  all  Northern  Russia,  into  Muscovy. 
The  people  of  Novgorod,  always  hardy  and  enter- 
prising, had  explored  the  far  North-east  in  search 
of  furs.  As  they  went  they  crossed  forest,  swamp 
and  frozen  bog,  forming  here  and  there  settlements, 
which  developed  later  into  towns  and  colonies,  such 
as  Vologda,  Kholmogori  and  Vyatka.  Even  on  the 
shores  of  the  White  Sea  they  built  monasteries  and 
forts,  and  from  Fort  St.  Nicholas  they  penetrated 
still  further  to  the  North-west,  where  they  came  into 
close  touch  with  the  Lapps,  from  whom  they  obtained 
white  bear-skins,  frozen  fish  and  fish  oil.  Daunted 
by  nothing  these  venturesome  Novgorodians  fear- 
lessly navigated  the  great  rivers  Dwina  and  Petchora, 
where  they  fished  for  salmon,  and  trapped  the  sea-cow, 
the  tusks  of  which  were  much  in  demand.  On  one 
of  these  adventurous  expeditions  along  the  Petchora 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA     195 

river,  they  came  upon  a  range  of  mountains — the 
first  they  had  ever  seen,  and  they  always  spoke  of 
them  afterwards  as  "  Zemnoi  Poyas "  or  Girdle  of 
the  World,  which  was  their  translation  of  the  word 
Ural.  Right  up  to  the  Arctic  Ocean  this  mountain 
range  extends,  its  steep  cliffs  rising  sheer  out  of  the 
river — its  "ridges  and  mountain-tops,  by  reason  of 
continuall  winds  are  in  a  manner  utterly  barren  with- 
out grass  or  fruits.  Further  south  they  are  covered 
with  forests  of  cedar  trees,  the  home  of  the  best  and 
blackest  kind  of  sable." 

It  was  both  difficult  and  dangerous  to  traverse  these 
mountains,  which  the  English  writer  supposes  to  be 
the  "  Hyperboreas  "  mentioned  by  Greek  writers,  be- 
cause, as  he  says,  "  they  are  covered  with  continuall 
snow  and  frost,  they  cannot  without  great  difficultie 
be  travayled  and  reach  so  farre  into  the  north  that 
they  make  the  unknown  land  of  Engron  Land." 
Some  of  the  Novgorodian  traders,  however,  had 
succeeded  in  discovering  what  lay  on  the  other  side 
of  the  Ural  Mountains  ;  leaving  the  Petchora  behind 
them,  they  had  boldly  launched  out  into  the  Arctic 
Ocean  in  their  river  boats,  and,  circumnavigating  the 
rugged  cliffs,  eventually  arrived  at  the  estuary  of  the 
river  Ob,  up  which  they  sailed  until  they  reached 
the  river  Irtish.  Marvellous  were  the  tales  these 
travellers  brought  back  with  them  to  Russia — of  a 
people  who  went  to  sleep  from  St.  George's  Day  in 
November  until  St.  George's  Day  in  April,  "just 
like  frogges."  "Before  falling  asleep,  however,"  it 
was  reported,  a  they  deposited  their  wares  in  an  ap- 
pointed place,  to  which  traders  of  other  tribes  would 


196  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

come  and  exchange  for  them  their  own  goods,  but 
should  the  sleepers  find  on  awaking  that  the  exchange 
had  not  been  what  they  considered  a  fair  one,  bloody 
strife  ensued.  The  country  the  Novgorodians  passed 
through  they  called  Yugoria,  and  most  of  its  inhabitants 
Ugons,  but  some  tribes  they  named  "  Samoyeds"  or 
stelf-eaters,  believing  them  to  be  cannibals  ;  and  these 
they  found  shy  and  difficult  to  trade  with.  The 
Russian  traders  soon  became  aware  that  the  land 
lying  to  the  east  and  south  of  the  Ural  range  was 
rich  in  gold  and  silver  and  in  rare  furs,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  they  began  to  look  upon  this  "  Sable- 
land,"  or  "  Golden  Ground,'*  as  they  also  called  it,  as 
their  El  Dorado. 

Moreover  in  the  course  of  their  trading  expeditions, 
these  Novgorodians  came  in  touch  with  many  Finnish 
tribes  such  as  the  Votyaks,  Voguls,  Permyaks  and 
Petchorians,  all  of  whom  they  designated  "  erring 
Tchuds " — erring,  because  they  were  still  pagans. 
Their  first  experience  in  bartering  with  these  people 
proved  to  them  that  it  was  well  worth  their  while 
to  risk  the  dangers  and  vicissitudes  of  the  journey 
for  the  sake  of  getting  a  cargo  of  beaver  skins  in 
exchange  for  an  iron  axe.  Later  they  adopted  the 
method  of  adding  to  Novgorod's  store  of  costly  furs 
by  levying  tribute,  in  the  name  of  that  Republic— 
the  forests  nearer  home  providing  the  more  common 
skins  such  as  bear,  lynx,  marten  and  fox.  Journeys 
into  the  remoter  parts  always  partook,  more  or  less, 
of  the  nature  of  an  exploration.  For  each  river,  as 
they  went  along,  they  had  to  build  special  rafts  and 
boats,  which  they  were  obliged  sometimes  to  carry 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA     197 

across  the  forest  to  the  next  lake  or  river.  "  Mer- 
chandise was  laden  into  doshniks,  that  is  barkes  of 
the  country,  to  be  carried  from  there  by  river  into 
Vologda.  They  departed  from  St.  Nicholas  up  the 
River  Dwina  :  by  continual  sailing,  rowing,  setting 
with  poles  or  drawing  of  men  for  a  thousand  miles  " 
they  eventually  arrived  at  their  destination. 

Although  in  Central  Russia  there  were  a  few  roads 
which  united  the  chief  cities — Yaroslav,  Ryazan,  Tver 
and  Moscow — with  each  other,  the  rest  of  the  Empire 
depended  for  communication  almost  entirely  upon 
its  waterways,  and  thus  from  Fort  St.  Nicholas 
to  Moscow  the  journey  had  to  be  pursued  for 
noo  versts  along  the  River  Dwina.  There  was 
not  even  a  track  between  Moscow  and  Vilna,  all 
communication  between  the  two  capitals  being  cut  off 
in  summer  on  account  of  the  swamps.  The  con- 
ditions were  practically  the  same  even  where  highways 
existed,  such  as  those  between  Novgorod  and  Narva 
in  Esthonia,  whence  merchandise  was  carried  to  the 
ports  of  Reval  and  Riga  for  export  to  the  German 
Hansa-towns  ;  for  there  was  only  one  really  good 
road  in  that  part  of  the  country,  and  this  ran  between 
Pskov  and  Riga.  An  Italian  traveller,  who  found 
himself  in  Russia  at  this  period,  speaks  with  feeling 
of  the  difficulties  attending  a  journey  to  Moscow. 
<£  Muscovia  is  impossible  to  reach  in  summer  on 
account  of  bad  roads  and  dirt  ;  in  spring  the  melting 
snow  turns  the  fields  into  veritable  marshes,  while 
in  rainy  summers  the  meadows  stand  under  water 
altogether." 

No  wonder  that  winter  was  looked  upon  as   the 


198  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

best  season  for  journeys  when  the  hard,  frozen,  snow- 
covered  ground  was  preferable  for  travelling.  But 
what  this  best  stands  for  can  be  judged  from  the  fact 
that  there  were  no  inns,  or  any  other  kind  of  shelter 
by  the  way,  for  the  villages  which  could  be  seen  only 
here  and  there  in  the  distance  were  too  far  off  the  track 
to  be  of  any  service.  In  spite,  however,  of  these 
disabilities,  all  places  which  were  without  waterways 
had  their  raw  produce  brought  to  them  in  winter  and 
on  sledges.  Merchants  learnt  to  carry  on  their  trade 
in  a  very  leisurely  fashion,  being  obliged  to  wait  in  one 
place  if  a  thaw  set  in  until  the  ground  was  again  frozen 
over,  perhaps  six  months  later.  In  spite  of  the  endless 
difficulties  of  transit  caused  by  climatic  and  geo- 
graphical conditions,  trade  with  the  outer  world  was 
carried  on  with  enterprise  in  all  directions,  and  goods 
were  imported  into  Russia  from  West  and  South  and 
East. 

Trading  between  Moscow  and  Astrakhan,  which 
were  2800  versts  apart,  was  fraught  with  many  dangers. 
For  centuries  the  Volga  was  a  very  perilous  route,  for 
in  certain  places  on  the  eastern  bank  lurked  nomadic 
tribes,  ready  to  pounce  upon  the  passing  caravans  lured 
thither  by  trickery  ;  in  other  places  traders  were  in 
danger  of  attacks  by  Don  Cossacks  from  the  western 
banks,  while  all  along  the  river  they  risked  encounter- 
ing the  piratical  Volga  Cossacks.  Merchants,  therefore, 
were  wont  to  profit  by  the  embassy  which  the  Khan 
sent  almost  every  year  to  the  Grand  Duke  of  Muscovy. 
Some  three  hundred  merchants  would  join  such  a 
caravan,  which  was  protected  by  hundreds  of  mounted 
and  armed  Tatars  who  drove  in  front  of  them  herds  of 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA     199 

horses,  some  of1  which  they  killed  and  ate  on  the  jour- 
ney, the  rest  being  for  sale — for  already  in  those  days 
the  Tatars  were  dealers  in  horseflesh. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century,  Perm, 
a  large  tract  of  land  lying  east  of  the  Volga,  was  con- 
quered by  Prince  Kourbski,  on  behalf  of  Ivan  III,  and 
by  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century  civilization  had  been 
introduced  amongst  the  aborigines  by  the  colonists 
from  Novgorod.  But  life  for  the  settlers  remained 
very  insecure,  owing  to  the  frequent  inroads  of  nomads 
— Ostyaks,  Tcheremiss,  Kirghise  and  Tatars.  Kourbski 
had  crossed  the  mountain  range,  and,  after  passing 
through  the  "  Iron  door,"  had  penetrated  right  into 
the  "  Siberian  land."  During  this  expedition  he  seized 
many  towns  in  Yugoria,  making  their  princes  vassals 
of  Muscovy.  Russia's  hold  over  these  distant  parts, 
however,  was  very  slight,  Muscovy  not  being  in  a 
position  to  enforce  the  regular  payment  of  tribute  ; 
and  in  course  of  time  these  little  principalities  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  Nogai  Tatars,  under  whom  they  were 
welded  together  into  one  Khanate,  the  capital  of  which 
was  Isker,  or  Sibir. 

In  the  year  1552,  after  the  fall  of  Kazan,  Ediger  the 
Tsar  of  Sibir  sent  envoys  to  the  Tsar  of  Muscovy  to 
congratulate  him  on  this  conquest  and,  fearing  lest  a 
similar  fate  might  befall  his  own  land,  suggested  to  the 
great  White  Tsar  that  he  should  become  Protector  of 
Sibir.  Ivan,  ignoring  the  etiquette  of  present-giving, 
accepted  Ediger's  handsome  gift  of  700  sables  as  so 
much  tribute,  and  treated  the  envoys  of  the  people 
whom  they  represented  as  though  they  were  his  own 
subjects.  In  fact,  from  this  time  forward,  he  demanded 


200  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

regular  tribute  of  1000  sables  per  annum,  and  a  few 
years  later,  Ediger  virtually  became  "the  Slave  of 
the  Tsar  and  the  Grand  Duke  of  all  the  Russias,"  the 
tribute  being  increased  to  1,000,000  skins.  This  was 
hotly  resented  by  the  free  and  hitherto  independent 
Tatars,  who  had  also  another  grievance  against  the 
Tsar,  in  that  certain  of  their  princes  who  had  come  to 
him  as  envoys  had  been  detained  as  prisoners. 

In  1563  Ediger  was  overthrown  by  Koutchum,  a 
clever  and  powerful  warrior  of  the  Steppes,  who  with 
the  help  of  his  relations,  founded  a  new  Tatar  Empire. 
Feeling  himself  strong  enough  to  defy  Muscovy, 
he  quietly  ignored  its  claims.  Of  this  Prince  the 
Chronicler  writes  :  "  From  the  Steppes  came  the  Tsar 
Koutchum  with  many  followers.  He  took  possession 
of  the  town  of  Sibir,  killed  the  princes  Ediger  and 
Bekbulata,  and  called  himself  Tsar  of  Siberia.  Tsar 
Koutchum  ruled  over  Siberia  for  many  years  in  riches 
and  plenty,  taking  tribute  from  peoples  of  other 
tongues,  until  the  year  when,  according  to  the  will  of 
God,  the  kingdom  was  destroyed  and  delivered  into 
the  hands  of  the  Christian  Tsar." 

It  was  not  long  before  this  independent  Tatar  was 
brought,  in  spite  of  himself,  into  communication  with 
the  Tsar  of  Muscovy.  A  Tatar  who  had  been  for 
many  years  a  captive  in  Moscow,  arrived  with  a  letter 
from  Ivan  IV  asking  Koutchum  why  he  had  neglected 
to  send  the  customary  tribute.  A  year  later  the  Tatar 
messenger  returned  from  Siberia  bringing  with  him  a 
letter  from  Koutchum  which,  the  Tsar  being  absent, 
was  opened  and  read  by  the  Council  of  the  Zemshtchina 
boyars.  They  sent  to  Ivan  a  translation  of  this  sur- 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA     201 

prising  document,  every  line  of  which  breathed  the 
spirit  of  freedom  and  proud  independence  of  that  erst- 
while Nogai  Steppe-rider  who,  by  the  strength  of  his 
own  brain  and  hand,  had  become  Tsar  of  Siberia.  The 
letter  opened  thus — 

"  God  is  rich. 

"The  free  man  Koutchum,  Tsar — to  the  Grand 
Duke  and  Tsar,"  and  contained  a  request  that  Ivan 
would  liberate  the  captive  Tatar  envoys,  while  he,  for 
his  part,  expressed  his  willingness  to  live  at  peace  with 
his  "  elder  brother,"  should  that  brother  desire  it. 
"  Send  envoys "  was  the  abrupt  ending  of  this  bold 
letter.  The  White  Tsar  took  no  notice  of  this  missive : 
it  did  not  suit  his  purpose  to  let  the  Tsar  of  Siberia 
pose  as  his  equal  and  as  being  in  a  position  to  dictate 
terms. 

Meanwhile  Koutchum  continued  to  reign  in 
confidence  and  strength,  and  as  an  ardent  follower  of 
Mahomet,  to  propagate  Islam  amongst  the  tribes  he  had 
brought  into  subjection.  He  also  proceeded  to  extend 
his  rule  over  Voguls,  Ostyaks,  and  Yugors,  all  of 
whom  were  tributary  to  Moscow  :  but  realizing  that 
such  high-handed  action  might  bring  down  upon  him 
the  vengeance  of  Ivan,  and  being  also  genuinely  desirous 
of  peace,  he  decided  to  send  another  letter  to  the  White 
Tsar  with  proposals  of  good-will.  These  proposals, 
however,  did  not  fit  in  with  the  Russian  Tsar's  inten- 
tions ;  for  ever  since  he  had  received  the  gift  of  precious 
sables  from  Ediger  he  had  determined  to  make  Siberia  a 
protectorate,  in  fact,  to  use  his  own  words,  "  to  put  it 
under  the  care  of  his  mighty  hand  "  as  a  preliminary  to 
conquest.  Therefore  in  reply  to  Koutchum's  letter,  he 


202  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

tried  to  induce  the  bold  Nogai  to  sign  documents  and 
treaties,  besides  demanding  a  tribute  of  1000  sables  to 
be  delivered  into  the  hand  of  his  envoy,  who  was  also 
to  be  presented  with  1000  squirrel  skins  for  his 
personal  use. 

Koutchum  was  too  clever  and  too  much  on  the  alert 
to  be  caught  napping.  He  refused  to  be  bound  down 
by  any  agreements,  and  as  a  simple  and  drastic  way  of 
winding  up  the  negotiations,  had  the  envoy  killed. 
The  time  had  not  yet  come  for  Muscovy  to  enter  the 
"  Golden  Ground  "  nor  to  extend  her  power  across 
the  "  Girdle  of  the  World." 

Meanwhile  on  the  western  side  of  the  mountain 
range,  in  the  land  of  Perm,  of  which  Tcherdan  was 
the  seat  of  Government,  only  a  few  Russian  colonists 
had  settled,  and  what  towns  there  were  had  been  built 
by  private  initiative.  Solikamsk,  for  instance,  was 
founded  by  the  family  of  the  Kalininkovs,  and  from 
this  town  trade  was  carried  on  between  Siberia  and 
Moscow,  along  the  rivers  Kama,  Volga,  Oka  and 
Moskva.  Chief  among  the  pioneers  of  Russian  coloni- 
zation were  the  Stroganovs  who  had  emigrated  from 
Rostov.  The  brothers  Stroganov  were  clever,  enter- 
prising men  who  soon  became  the  chief  traders  of  those 
parts,  and  were,  in  fact,  merchant  politicians.  The 
eldest  member  of  the  family,  Anikiev  Stroganov^  sent  a 
humble  petition  to  the  Tsar,  begging  his  permission  to 
colonize  the  vast  tracts  of  land  along  the  Kama  which 
were  uninhabited,  assuring  Ivan  that  never  had  any 
tribute  been  received  from  those  tracts  either  by  Kazan 
or  by  Muscovy.  In  return  for  permission  to  settle 
there  he  promised  to  build  forts  and  to  mount  guns  for 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA     203 

the  purpose  of  protecting  this  borderland  against  the 
Nogai  or  other  invading  hordes. 

The  Tsar,  after  making  inquiries,  sent  a  letter  to 
Stroganov  granting  him  his  request,  and  gave  him 
100  versts  of  land  along  both  shores  of  the  Kama  as 
leasehold,  free  of  any  payment  whatsoever,  even  of 
taxes,  for  a  period  of  20  years,  for  himself  and  for  any 
other  colonists  whom  he  might  invite  to  join  him. 
This  letter  or  charter,  signed  by  the  Tsar  in  the  year 
7066  (1558)  gave  to  the  Stroganovs  the  right  to  clear 
forests,  to  sow  and  to  build,  to  fish  and  to  make  salt 
and  saltpetre  ;  but  should  any  minerals,  whether  of 
silver,  copper  or  lead,  be  found  in  those  lands,  the 
Government  was  to  be  informed,  and  none  of  them 
were  to  be  handled  "without  our  knowledge."  The 
Stroganovs  were  also  exempted  from  any  postal  tribute, 
that  is,  they  were  not  obliged  to  provide  envoys  who 
might  be  passing  through  the  country  with  horses  and 
provisions  free  of  cost,  but  were  permitted  to  supply 
these  at  ordinary  prices. 

In  possession  of  this  charter,  Anikiev  Stroganov 
sent  round  "criers"  in  all  directions,  in  order  to  collect 
such  settlers  as  he  was  at  liberty  to  invite.  These  in- 
vitations had,  however,  to  be  issued  with  caution,  for 
the  terms  of  the  charter  excluded  all  robbers,  thieves 
and  "tyaglie  lyudi."  Yet  it  was  just  these  latter  who 
would  have  gladly  come,  since  it  was  they  who  paid  the 
taxes  or,  in  other  ways,  bore  the  burden  of  imperial 
duties,  which  weighed  heavily  enough.  All  the  people 
of  Russia  at  that  time,  with  the  exception  of  the  clergy, 
were  divided  into  two  classes — those  who  were  enrolled 
and  were  "tyaglie  lyudi,'*  and  those  who  were  free  of 


204  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

all  liability.  The  former  were  subdivided  into  those  who 
performed  direct  service,  military  or  civic —  such  as  the 
boyars  and  nobles — and  those  who  paid  taxes  or  bore 
other  burdens — such  as  peasants  and  merchants.  The 
peasants  were  taxed  according  to  the  area  of  land  owned 
by  the  village  community,  and  the  merchants  on  the 
value  of  their  stock-in-trade. 

It  was  a  common  practice  in  Russia  for  those  who 
found  taxation  and  local  conditions  unbearable,  to  pack 
up  their  goods  and  chattels  and  migrate  elsewhere.  In 
fact  the  threat  to  do  this,  if  taxation  were  not  abated,  was 
the  only  hold  which  the  citizens  had  over  their  Govern- 
ment. Accordingly  this  practice  of  running  away  from 
circumstances  which  gave  no  hope  of  remedy  became 
deep-rooted  in  the  heart  of  the  Russians.  The  rustic 
proverb  which  says  :  "  The  fish  goes  where  the  water 
is  deepest  and  man  where  he  fares  best, "  was  but  the 
expression  of  a  national  habit,  "  for  it  has  ever  been  a 
characteristic  of  the  Russian  people,  that  instead  of 
pulling  themselves  together  and  offering  organized 
resistance  in  qrder  to  better  their  conditions,  they  run 
away  and  seek  a  new  fatherland,  where  the  conditions 
are  better  for  them."  This  fact  explains  the  spread  of 
Russian  colonization  ;  and  as  the  power  of  Muscovy 
increased  and  the  long  arm  of  the  Central  Government 
stretched  over  more  and  ever  more  distant  parts  of  the 
country,  the  only  way  of  escape  was  to  go  still  further 
afield.  No  wonder,  therefore,  that  the  invitation  to 
settle  down  on  the  lands  granted  to  the  Stroganovs 
was  readily  accepted  by  peasant!?,  artizans,  traders  and 
homeless  wanderers.  Villages  sprang  up,  townships 
developed  and  formed  centres  for  trade  with  the  native 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA     205 

tribes,  and  the  Stroganovs,  thanks  to  their  special  com- 
mercial privileges,  soon  became  immensely  wealthy. 
After  a  time  the  Government  also  began  to  send 
peasants  from  a  less  fertile  soil  to  these  fruitful  lands. 

So  pleased  was  the  Tsar  with  the  activities  of  these 
pioneers,  that  he  readily  granted  to  another  of  the 
Stroganov  brothers  land  lying  along  the  banks  of  the 
river  Tchoussovo,  together  with  the  right  to  keep  a 
small  standing  army  of  free  Cossacks,  as  this  district 
was  exposed  to  raids. 

Meanwhile,  on  the  Asiatic  side  of  -the  Ural 
mountains,  Tsar  Koutchum  was  shaking  his  head  with 
disapproval,  not  unmixed  with  dismay,  at  this  gradual 
advance  of  Muscovite  rule  towards  his  dominions,  and 
he  bore  a  special  grudge  against  the  Stroganovs.  On 
one  occasion,  just  to  give  the  Russians  a  gentle  warning, 
he  sent  his  heir,  Prince  Mahmet-Kul,  to  attack  some 
Ostyak  tribes,  which  were  tributary  to  Russia.  After 
carrying  out  this  enterprise,  the  Tatar  prince  threatened 
the  little  township  of  Tchoussovo  and  also  stirred  up  the 
Tcheremiss  to  make  raids  into  the  Stroganov  lands. 

When  the  reports  of  all  this  reached  Ivan,  he  granted 
to  the  Stroganovs  a  new  charter  whereby  they  were 
permitted  to  cross  the  Ural  mountains  and  to  build 
forts  along  the  great  rivers  Tobol,  Irtish  and  Tura,  for 
he  was  anxious  to  subdue  <c  Siberia,"  a  name  which  for 
Russians  included  all  the  land  on  the  other  side  of  the 
mountains.  The  Stroganovs,  however,  whose  main 
object  was  trade,  were  far  too  shrewd  to  risk  their 
commercial  prospects  by  acts  of  aggression,  and  they 
also  realized  only  too  well  the  utter  impossibility  of 
conquering  Siberia.  How  could  such  a  mere  handful 


206  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

of  frontiersmen  undertake  to  build  forts  in  new  and 
strange  lands  when  they  were  not  numerous  enough 
to  colonize  their  own  territory,  and  had  not  sufficient 
warriors  to  protect  those  who  had  settled  in  it  ? 
Accordingly  the  new  charter  with  its  lavish  grants  of 
Siberian  land,  remained  a  dead  letter,  and  Ivan  the 
Terrible  had  to  possess  his  soul  in  patience  yet  a  little 
longer.  Repeated  attacks  were  made  by  Ostyaks  and 
Voguls  against  the  Russian  settlers.  Prince  Pelym 
even  boldly  advanced  against  the  town  of  Toverdin. 

It  was  at  this  juncture  that  a  very  welcome,  though 
unsought  contingent  of  armed  men — a  band  of 
Cossacks,  freebooters  and  pirates — came  to  the 
assistance  of  the  Stroganovs.  The  leader  of  these 
worthies  was  Yermak,  whose  grandfather,  a  citizen  of 
the  town  of  Vladimir  and  a  driver  and  carrier  by 
profession,  had  been  so  poor  that  he  was  obliged  to 
take  any  fare  that  offered  and,  not  infrequently,  found 
himself  giving  a  lift  to  robbers.  One  day  while  driving 
a  party  of  highwaymen  through  the  forest  of  Murom 
he  was  taken  in  charge  together  with  his  fare,  and 
thrown  into  prison.  Fortunately  he  managed  to  escape 
and  rejoin  his  family,  with  whom  he  migrated  further 
East.  He  died  soon  after,  and  when  his  widow  heard 
of  the  invitation  of  the  Stroganovs  for  all  and  sundry 
to  come  and  settle  on  their  lands,  she  and  her  family 
gladly  responded  to  the  call  and  made  their  way  to  the 
tax-free  country. 

Among  the  grandsons  of  the  widow  was  one, 
Vassili,  who  had  started  life  as  an  oarsman  on  one 
of  the  boats  which  plied  up  and  down  the  rivers 
Volga  and  Kama.  To  this  strong,  capable,  and  adven- 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA    207 

ture-loving  youth  such  an  existence  was  too  dreary 
and  monotonous.  A  ready  talker,  he  soon  won  over 
others  to  his  point  of  view  and,  having  collected  a 
band  of  followers,  persuaded  them  to  forsake  their 
peaceful  occupations  and  to  become  pirates,  or  free 
Cossacks  as  they  called  themselves,  their  bold  leader, 
whom,  for  some  unknown  reason  they  called  Yermak, 
becoming  their  ataman.  They  lived  the  wild  happy- 
go-lucky  life  of  freebooters,  infesting  the  river  with 
their  flotilla  of  small  boats  ;  merchants  and  others 
who  refused  to  give  them  what  they  demanded  were 
simply  taken  by  the  throat.  Yermak  and  his  friends 
did  things  on  a  large  scale,  robbing  and  murdering  to 
their  heart's  content.  Occasionally  soldiers  were  sent 
to  repress  them,  and  gradually  the  sphere  of  action  of 
these  bandits  became  narrowed  until  stern  necessity 
forced  them  to  leave  their  happy  hunting  grounds  in 
the  -big  rivers  and  to  seek  shelter  further  afield.  They 
had  made  themselves  such  a  nuisance  that  a  price  had 
been  put  upon  their  heads. 

Not  satisfied  with  merely  attacking  river  caravans 
and  robbing  Russian  and  Oriental  merchants,  they  had 
had  the  effrontery  to  attack  the  town  of  Saraitchik 
which  belonged  to  one  of  the  Nogai  Khans,  a  vassal  of 
Muscovy.  The  aggrieved  prince  sent  bitter  complaints 
to  the  Tsar,  who  wrote  to  explain  his  innocence  in  the 
matter  and  promised  to  have  the  offenders  hanged. 
Thus  Yermak  and  another  ataman  named  Koltso 
became  outlaws,  and  in  their  endeavour  to  escape  the 
"Arm  of  the  Law,''  fled  with  their  followers  in  a 
north-easterly  direction  until  they  reached  the  Stroganov 
lands  on  the  river  Tchoussovo. 


208  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

For  the  little  community  of  colonists  it  was  no 
small  advantage  to  have  their  numbers  swelled  by 
a  band  of  warriors  ;  but  opinions  differ  as  to  the 
attitude  towards  them  adopted  by  the  Stroganovs. 
The  Chronicler  of  that  family  insists  that  they  were 
Cossacks  in  Imperial  service,  ignoring  the  fact  of 
their  being  outlaws.  According  to  him,  they  were 
supplied  with  food,  furnished  with  weapons  and 
ammunition,  and  then  sent  out  to  conquer  Siberia, 
but  other  chroniclers  maintain  that  Yermak's  band 
only  passed  through  the  Stroganov  lands  on  their 
way  East,  and  that  the  expedition  against  the  Ostyaks 
and  Voguls  was  undertaken  on  their  own  initiative. 

Unfortunately  for  the  Stroganovs,  the  very  day 
after  the  bold  Cossacks  had  turned  their  backs  upon 
Tchoussovo  in  search  of  further  adventure,  the  Voguls 
and  Ostyaks  attacked  several  little  Russian  townships, 
taking  a  number  of  prisoners,  and  it  was  reported  to 
the  Tsar  that  the  Stroganovs  had  given  shelter  to 
runaway  Cossacks,  who  had  now  gone  across  the 
Ural.  Ivan  was  extremely  incensed  when  he  heard 
the  news,  and  in  a  letter  vibrating  with  annoyance 
he  says  :  "  If  these  men  had  been  used  merely  to 
guard  the  settlements — but  now  they  will  spoil  every- 
thing for  me,  for  the  Ostyaks  who  have  made  no 
demur  about  paying  me  tribute  will  refuse  it  as 
soon  as  they  see  the  Cossacks."  He  commanded 
that  the  Cossacks  should  be  instantly  recalled  and 
that  Yermak  and  Koltso  should  be  sent  to  Perm 
to  be  hanged.  These  orders,  however,  arrived  too 
late,  for  the  band  of  intrepid  adventurers  had  been 
absolutely  lost  sight  of.  What  had  they  been  doing 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA     209 

in     the     meanwhile  ?      According     to     the     Cossack 
song— 

"On  the  Volga,  on  the  Kama — 

The  Cossacks  lived — the  free  men  ! 

Had  an  Ataman — 

Yermak  called  they  him  ! 

That  this  Ataman 

Quietly    whispered 

To  his  bold  friends — true 

Cossacks,  brothers  all  ! 

Here's  a  thought  for  you — 

When  the  summer's  gone, 

And  the  winter's  come — 

Where,  oh  where,  shall  we  spend  our  time  ? 

On  the  Volga  live  ?     There  as  thieves  exist  ? 

To  the  Yaik  go  ? — is  too  long  a  stride  ! 

Go  against  Kazan  ?     There  we'll  meet  the  Tsar,  meet  the 

Terrible  ! 

He  has  sent  his  men, 
Forty  thousand  against  us  few — 
Let  us  go  and  take  Siberia  ! " 

And  that  is  what  they  did. 

It  was  a  desperate  undertaking  to  venture  into  an 
unknown  land  inhabited  by  people  renowned  for 
fierceness  and  treachery.  The  Cossacks  sailed  up  the 
river  Tchoussovo  until  they  came  to  a  big  cave 
where  they  spent  the  winter,  and  here,  so  goes  the 
story,  they  buried  all  the  treasures  they  had  accu- 
mulated as  pirates.  Search  has  been  made  for  this 
treasure  from  time  to  time  by  the  local  peasants,  but 
no  trace  of  it  has  ever  been  discovered. 

For  Yermak  and  his  friends,  however,  a  far  greater 
source  of  wealth  was  to  be  opened  up.  When  spring 
came,  they  continued  their  course  up  the  river 


2io  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

Tchoussovo,  and  when  they  arrived  at  the  river 
Serebryannaya,  before  them  loomed  the  great  moun- 
tain range.  Along  this  river  they  passed,  first  between 
banks  covered  with  cedar  trees  and  then  between 
precipitous  rocks.  At  last  they  came  to  a  watershed 
across  which  they  had  to  carry  their  light  boats, 
until  they  reached  a  river  running  down  on  the  other 
side.  Here,  in  the  new  country,  Yermak  passed  by 
many  nomadic  tribes  who  made  no  attempt  to  hinder 
his  advance,  having  nothing  to  lose  by  it.  Neither 
did  the  people  in  the  settlements  through  which  they 
passed  attack  the  strangers,  for  the  flotilla  of  small 
boats  was  to  them  but  a  new  and  interesting  sight. 
Deeper  and  deeper  did  these  bold  Cossacks  penetrate 
until  they  reached  the  river  Tura.  There,  however, 
they  came  into  contact  with  the  outposts  of  the 
Tsardom  of  Siberia,  and  their  smooth,  uninterrupted 
progress  was  at  an  end.  The  rudely  armed  guardians 
of  the  borderland  showered  arrows  upon  the  advancing 
flotilla,  but  a  few  shots  from  the  guns  of  the  Cossacks 
dispersed  these  Voguls  and  Ostyaks,  who  fled  terror- 
stricken  at  the  noise  and  the  surprising  flash  of  fire. 
Yermak's  men  followed  them  up,  killing  many  of 
them  and  destroying  some  of  their  settlements. 

This  first  victory  encouraged  Yermak  and  filled 
him  with  hope  for  the  future.  Proceeding  further, 
he  entered  the  river  Tobol  where  it  is  joined  by  the 
Tavda.  Here  his  band  encountered  a  host  of  Tatars, 
or  Sibirs,  whose  leader,  Yeptchank,  was  made  captive 
and  brought  before  Yermak.  It  transpired  that  he 
was  in  the  service  of  the  Tsar  Koutchum,  about 
whom  the  Cossack  leader  was  anxious  to  glean  in- 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA     211 

formation.  Having  first  impressed  the  Tatar  with 
the  marvels  of  a  Russian  firearm,  he  had  little 
difficulty  in  getting  out  of  him  all  he  desired  to 
know.  He  learnt  that  Koutchum  was  living  in  the 
town  of  Isker,  or  Sibir  ;  that  he  was  unpopular  with 
the  natives  on  account  of  his  attempts  to  proselytize 
them,  for  both  Voguls  and  Ostyaks  preferred  their 
idols  to  Mohammed ;  that  Koutchum  had  a  great 
army  and  was  at  war  with  many  tribes  and  nations, 
and  that,  whereas  the  Khan  himself  was  old  and 
blind,  his  noble  young  heir  was  a  gallant  warrior, 
who  had  no  equal  in  all  Siberia.  Satisfied  with  the 
information  received,  Yermak  bade  Yeptchank  depart 
in  peace,  and  told  him  that  he  was  free  to  go 
back  to  his  master  and  give  him  a  greeting  from 
Yermak. 

When  the  Siberian  Tsar  heard  the  news  of  this 
unexpected  advance  of  a  band  of  Russians,  and  of 
their  wonderful  fire  weapons,  he  gave  orders  to  his 
Tatars  to  prepare  themselves  at  all  points  to  resist 
the  terrible  foe.  He  sent  for  his  vassals,  and  having 
gathered  an  army,  despatched  it  under  the  leadership 
of  the  famous  Prince  Mahmet-Kul  to  meet  the  Cos- 
sacks, while  he  himself  remained  in  his  capital  which 
he  had  prepared  for  a  siege.  Mahmet-Kul  with  his 
army  met  the  Cossacks  sailing  down  the  Tobol,  and 
the  Chronicler  writes  that  when  they  saw  the  hosts 
of  Tatars  "  they  were  not  a  little  afraid,"  for  they 
soon  realized  that  it  was  no  longer  roaming  nomads 
with  whom  they  had  to  deal,  but  with  a  people 
defending  their  Fatherland. 

The  Cossacks  were  outnumbered  by  thirty  to  one, 


212  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

but  powder  and  shot  proved  powerful  allies.  Many 
of  Yermak's  men  were,  however,  killed,  and  in  order 
to  save  both  men  and  ammunition  the  leaders  gave 
the  order  to  row  away,  which  they  did.  Arrows  were 
shot  after  them,  but  the  Cossacks,  protected  by  their 
iron  armour,  continued  their  difficult  journey  along  the 
river  Tobol. 

Danger  lurked  upon  every  side,  and  frequent  attacks 
were  sustained.  Occasionally  the  shower  of  arrows 
would  irritate  Yermak  and  cause  him  to  issue  the 
order  to  land  and  "give  it  to  them  hot.*'  The 
greatest  drawback  they  had  to  encounter  was  the 
lack  of  sleep  ;  for  the  Sibirs  kept  up  their  harassing 
warfare  night  and  day.  At  last  Yermak  decided  to 
encamp  in  a  little  Tatar  town  which  he  had  taken 
en  route^  but  there  was  to  be  no  rest  for  the  weary 
Russians,  who  saw  that,  from  the  hills  of  Tchuvash, 
hordes  of  Tatars  were  approaching. 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  First  of  all  a  Council  was 
called,  and  sitting  around  the  fire,  Cossack  fashion,, 
they  discussed  the  situation.  Some  were  for  an 
immediate  return — they  had  gone  far  enough  and 
had  had  enough  of  Siberia  ;  it  was  already  fifty-three 
days  since  they  had  left  Russia,  and  what  was  the  use 
of  going  still  further  ?  "  We  can  never  conquer 
Siberia,"  they  said,  "  we  shall  only  die  in  the  attempt 
and  lose  our  gain  and  booty.  The  rivers  are  freezing 
up  ;  how  can  we  live  in  these  steppes  without  food, 
without  warm  clothing,  and  with  the  Tatars  ever  ready 
to  fall  upon  us  ?  Let  us  turn  and  flee  !  "  Yermak, 
however,  was  not  the  man  to  turn  back:  "  Comrades  !  " 
said  he,  "  you  must  be  men  and  be  willing  to  work. 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA    213 

We  are  already  almost  at  the  gates  of  Sibir — come,  le 
us  conquer  Siberia  and  great  gain  will  be  ours."  But 
he  had  the  utmost  difficulty  in  persuading  his  followers 
to  keep  up  heart,  and  this  crisis  was  only  a  foretaste  of 
what  awaited  him  thenceforward — a  perpetual  struggle 
to  maintain  the  morale  of  his  men.  Behind  him,  how- 
ever, lay  the  life  of  an  outlaw — before  him  freedom 
and  honour.  He  could  have  amassed  wealth  at  home 
by  living  on  robbery,  but  here  he  had  found  a  better 
way,  and  it  was  at  this  crucial  moment  in  his  career 
that  Yermak,  the  highwayman,  merged  into  the  hero. 
He  dared  his  cowardly  followers  to  run  away  ;  he 
inspired  their  flagging  souls  with  new  courage — holding 
out  before  them  visions  of  glory  and  honour — until  at 
last  he  won  over  the  whole  Council.  u  If  we  perish," 
they  said,  "  we  perish  with  honour !  "  They  all 
decided  to  go  forward. 

On  October  23rd,  1581,  a  bloody  combat  took 
place  not  far  from  the  Siberian  capital.  The  Tatars 
began  by  hemming  in  the  Cossacks,  but  Yermak  and 
Koltso  organized  a  stout  resistance  to  their  attack.  On 
every  side  the  battle  raged  furiously,  bullets  and  arrows 
whizzing  through  the  air.  The  Russians  formed  a 
close  wall,  standing  shoulder  to  shoulder,  fighting  with 
sword  and  lance,  and  many  were  the  Siberian  warriors 
who  fell  under  their  doughty  blows,  but  they  fought 
fiercely,  these  fanatical  Mohammedans.  Very  soon  the 
Russians  perceived  that  they  had  to  deal  with  brave 
men  and  desperate  warriors  who  would  not  be  daunted 
either  by  the  sound  of  cannon  or  by  the  sight  of  fire. 
The  famous  old  soldier,  Tsar  Koutchum,  stood  on  a 
hillock  watching  the  movements  of  his  army  and 


214  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

praying  to  Allah  for  victory.  The  Cossacks,  however, 
were  unconquerable.  For  both  sides  the  issue  was 
one  of  life  and  death — no  quarter  was  given  and  every 
effort  was  put  forth  until  it  became  a  hand-to-hand 
fight.  The  ranks  of  the  Tatars  were  thinning  rapidly 
— and  Yermak  also  had  lost  a  fifth  of  his  men — when 
the  battle  came  suddenly  to  an  end  with  the  wounding 
of  Mahmet-Kul  ;  for  as  soon  as  the  Ostyak  princes 
perceived  that  he  had  fallen,  they  forsook  their  liege 
lord  and  fled  back  to  their  homes. 

Beaten  by  the  enemy  and  forsaken  by  his  vassals, 
the  Tatar  Tsar  gathered  together  his  remaining  men, 
and,  realizing  the  hopelessness  of  the  position,  pro- 
ceeded to  evacuate  the  city.  His  retinue,  to  a  man, 
were  forced  to  leave  house  and  home  and  follow  their 
leader  into  the  unknown. 

The  Cossacks  in  the  meantime,  unaware  of  what  was 
going  on,  and  exhausted  by  the  battle  which  had  lasted 
into  the  night,  were  taking  their  well-earned  rest. 
Next  morning  Yermak  and  his  500  x  Cossacks  advanced 
<c  without  fear "  (so  says  the  Chronicler)  towards  the 
capital.  They  came  nearer  and  nearer,  but,  to  their 
surprise,  met  with  no  resistance,  neither  did  they  hear 
nor  see  any  signs  of  life.  This  made  the  Ataman  very 
uneasy — he  apprehended  an  ambush,  and  the  longer 
the  inexplicable  silence  reigned,  the  more  his  suspicions 
increased.  For  a  time  they  did  not  dare  to  advance, 
and  when  after  three  days  Yermak  ventured  to  approach 
Isker — he  was  astonished  to  find  it  absolutely  deserted. 
Siberia  was  theirs  ! 

This  indeed  was  a  triumph  for  the  homeless  Cossacks 

1  Reports  differ — Some  say  500,  others  4500,  and  others  5000. 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA     215 

who,  during  a  two  months'  expedition,  had  succeeded 
in  achieving  the  conquest  of  the  trans-Ural  land  up  to 
the  very  banks  of  the  river  Irtish,  and  they  at  once 
proceeded  to  make  themselves  thoroughly  at  home  in 
their  new  surroundings. 

On  the  fourth  day  after  their  entry  into  Isker,  the 
native  inhabitants  of  that  town  returned,  and  one  of 
the  Ostyak  princes  offered  to  supply  Yermak  with 
food.  Before  long  the  families  of  the  Ostyaks  became 
quite  friendly  with  the  conquerors. 

It  was  now  that  Yermak's  latent  powers  of  organi- 
zation and  administration  manifested  themselves.  As 
he  had  only  500  Cossacks  to  back  him  up,  it  was 
obviously  not  by  force  of  numbers  but  by  sheer 
strength  of  character  that  he  kept  his  hold  over 
Siberia  for  three  whole  years.  It  was  his  personality 
which  had  conquered  Siberia,  and  his  resourceful  brain 
which  enabled  him  to  profit  by  other  people's  experience 
as  well  as  by  his  own,  and  so  to  maintain  himself  in 
such  a  precarious  position. 

After  the  occupation  of  Isker,  the  approach  of 
winter  made  further  operations  for  the  time  impossible, 
and  the  Russians  accordingly  remained  in  the  city. 
Before  long  some  of  the  aborigines  came  to  pay 
homage  to  the  mighty  man  who  had  put  to  flight  their 
former  conqueror  Tsar  Koutchum.  Their  princes 
brought  food  and  other  gifts  to  Yermak,  who  dis- 
played marvellous  skill  in  exploiting  the  resentment 
which  he  knew  to  be  rife  among  the  Pagans  against 
the  Moslems.  He  soon  won  them  over  to  his  side 
and  induced  several  of  their  chiefs  to  swear  an  oath  of 
allegiance  to  Muscovy,  and  altogether  played  his  role  of 


2i 6  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

ruler  with  tact  and  generosity.  The  Ostyaks  brought 
him  the  produce  of  the  field,  showing  him  every  sign 
of  friendliness,  while  he,  on  his  part,  gave  strict  orders 
to  his  men  not  to  injure  or  harm  the  natives  in  any 
way.  So  kindly  disposed  were  the  natives  that  they 
offered  of  their  own  accord  to  pay  tribute  to  the 
Russian  Tsar.  They  also  acted  as  guides  and  showed 
many  other  signs  of  good-will. 

Then  winter  set  in — a  terrible  winter,  with  severe 
frosts,  blinding  snowstorms  and  mountainous  snow- 
drifts blocking  the  way.  There  had  been  no  sign  of 
Koutchum,  nor  was  there  an  enemy  within  sight. 
Yermak's  Cossacks  rode  about  the  neighbourhood 
gathering  in  tribute,  or  went  fishing  or  hunting  for 
food,  there  being  no  corn  in  the  district.  At  last, 
however,  feeling  that  he  could  no  longer  look  on  and 
let  his  kingdom  be  thus  wrested  from  his  grasp,  the 
Tsar  Koutchum  sent  his  heir  once  more  against  the 
intruders.  Prince  Mahmet-Kul  made  several  attempts 
to  attack  the  Cossacks  and  once  succeeded  in  killing 
twenty  of  them,  but  was  then  beaten  back  by  Yermak. 
When  the  winter  was  passed,  the  Tatar  Prince  again 
sallied  forth  to  make  another  attack,  but  Yermak, 
having  been  warned  of  his  intention,  sent  a  little 
company  of  fifty  Cossacks  to  make  a  sortie  by  night 
against  the  Sibir  camp.  Taking  them  completely 
unawares,  the  Cossacks  fell  upon  the  sleeping  foe,  took 
Prince  Mahmet-Kul  prisoner  and  brought  him  to 
Yermak,  by  whom  he  was  treated  very  generously  and 
graciously.  Thus  the  blind  old  fugitive  Tsar  Koutchum, 
already  forsaken  by  many  of  his  vassals,  now  found 
himself  bereft  of  his  heir.  To  add  to  his  misfortunes, 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA    217 

the  son  of  Prince  Bekbulata,  taking  advantage  of  the 
situation,  set  to  work  to  avenge  the  death  of  his  father 
by  attacking  the  now  helpless  monarch  who  had  brought 
it  about. 

Koutchum's  calamity  was  Yermak's  opportunity,  and 
he  proceeded  at  once  with  the  subjugation  of  the 
Ostyak  princes.  One  of  these,  Demian  by  name,  gave 
the  Cossacks  a  good  deal  of  trouble,  for  he  and  his  two 
thousand  men  shut  themselves  up  in  a  fortress  on  the 
steep  banks  of  the  river  Irtish  and  succeeded  in  with- 
standing the  enemy  for  a  considerable  time.  It  was 
rumoured  that  this  success  was  due  to  the  presence  in 
their  midst  of  a  very  famous  gilded  idol  which  had 
come  to  them  from  Russia  in  days  long  gone  by  when 
the  Russians  were  still  bowing  down  to  wood  and 
stone.  Report  said  that  this  idol  was  kept  in  a  large 
basin  filled  with  water,  of  which  the  Ostyaks  drank 
so  as  to  be  infused  with  courage,  and  that,  being 
guarded  day  and  night,  it  could  not  be  carried  away 
by  stealth,  as  an  enterprising  native  suggested. 
Finally,  however,  the  fortress  fell  before  the  guns  of 
the  Cossacks,  but  no  idol  was  ever  found  within  its 
walls. 

The  bold  conquerors  continued  their  course  down 
the  great  river,  and  on  one  occasion  came  across  some 
native  priests  who  were  offering  up  sacrifices  to  their 
gods  for  protection  against  the  "  Russian  thunder  "  ; 
but  at  the  first  glimpse  of  the  Cossacks  they  evinced 
more  faith  in  their  legs  than  in  their  gods,  and  fled 
precipitately  into  the  forest.  Further  on,  where  the 
river  narrows  between  high  banks,  the  Russians  were 
boldly  attacked  by  armed  natives,  who,  however,  were 


218  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

speedily  dispersed  by  a  few  shots  from  the  Russian 
"  fire  weapons." 

There  remained  yet  to  be  subdued  the  most  powerful 
of  the  Ostyak  princes,  Samar,  who  was  joined  by  eight 
of  the  other  princes — all  as  determined  as  himself  to 
offer  organized  resistance  to  the  advancing  Russians. 
Unfortunately  for  his  cause,  he  omitted  the  simple 
precaution  of  placing  guards  around  his  camp  at  night, 
thus  making  it  possible  for  the  Cossacks  to  come 
unobserved  upon  the  sleeping  Ostyak  princes.  Too 
late  to  defend  themselves,  they  awoke  to  their  danger  ; 
Samar  was  killed  and  his  allies  scattered  in  every 
direction.  Subsequently  the  vanquished  princes  agreed 
to  pay  tribute  to  the  Great  White  Tsar. 

Following  this  rout  of  the  enemy,  Yermak  proceeded 
to  capture  the  principal  Ostyak  town  of  Nazym,  but 
he  lost  his  friend  the  Ataman  Nikita  Pan  and  several 
of  his  followers  in  the  attempt.  After  this  he  sailed 
down  the  river  Obi,  and  took  several  little  forts 
situated  on  its  banks.  But  he  soon  found  that  further 
progress  was  impossible  owing  to  the  broadening  out 
of  the  great  river,  which  is,  at  this  point,  from  three  to 
four  versts  wide,  and  winds  its  way  northward  through 
an  endless  stretch  of  barren,  snow-covered  marshland 
until  it  reaches  the  frozen  ocean. 

Yermak  now  returned  to  Isker,  where  he  had  left  some 
of  his  followers,  and  was  received  by  them  with  great 
rejoicing.  Even  the  natives,  whom  he  had  subjugated, 
came  forward  to  greet  him  and  to  show  honour  to  the 
conqueror.  His  position,  however,  was  more  than 
precarious,  for  his  following  was  sorely  diminished  in 
numbers  ;  the  powder  was  spent,  provisions  were  all 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA    219 

but  exhausted,  and  no  communication  with  Russia  was 
possible,  winter  having  begun  to  set  in,  and  the  rivers 
being  covered  with  floating  ice.  The  problem  which 
now  faced  Yermak  was  a  very  serious  one  :  whether  to 
remain  in  Siberia  without  the  means  of  resisting 
probable  attacks,  and  possibly  without  provisions,  or 
to  risk  the  loss  of  all  the  newly  conquered  country  by 
returning  to  Russia.  If  he  remained  he  was  faced  with 
the  further  question — how  to  make  his  conquest  secure 
and  how  to  ensure  permanence  for  his  work.  He 
realized  that,  for  the  time  being,  the  holding  of  Siberia 
depended  entirely  upon  himself,  for  he  knew  full  well 
that,  if  his  presence  were  withdrawn,  his  followers 
would  not  be  able  to  retain  it. 

The  solution  of  this  question  shows  the  astuteness 
of  Yermak's  far-seeing  mind.  He — the  outlaw — 
decided  to  send  envoys  to  the  Tsar  at  Moscow  and  to 
present  him  with  Siberia.  Truly  a  wise  and  generous 
thought,  but  very  difficult  to  put  into  execution,  and 
a  most  daring  plan.  Nevertheless  he  determined  to 
venture  all  on  one  throw  and  to  take  the  risk  of 
diminishing  his  small  force  by  fifty  men,  who  should  go 
with  the  Ataman  Koltso  to  Russia  and  convey  the  news 
of  the  conquest  of  Siberia.  There  was  the  possibility 
that  the  fifty  men  might  lose  their  way  while  crossing 
the  Urals  by  what  should  be  a  direct,  but  what  was  as 
yet  an  entirely  unknown  route.  What  if  the  Governor 
of  Perm  should  refuse  to  believe  the  story  and  hang 
Koltso,  which  in  fact  it  was  his  duty  to  do  ?  And  even 
supposing  he  reached  Moscow  alive,  how  could  such  a 
man  hope  to  find  credence  for  his  tale  ?  Yet  this 
seemed  to  Yermak  the  only  way  to  confirm  and  establish 


220  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

his  work,  for  what  was  impossible  for  a  mere  handful 
of  Cossacks  could  easily  be  accomplished  by  the  hosts 
of  the  Tsar. 

Yermak  entrusted  Koltso  with  two  letters,  one  to 
the  Stroganovs,  informing  them  that  his  expedition 
across  the  Urals  had  been  successful — that  the  "  Sultan  " 
Tsar  Koutchum  had  been  conquered,  Mahmet-Kul 
made  captive,  and  the  land  of  the  Siberians  taken 
and  made  tributary.  In  the  other  letter,  which  was 
addressed  to  the  Tsar,  Yermak  expressed  regret  for  all 
his  past  misdeeds  and  informed  Ivan  the  Terrible  that 
to  his  dominions  had  been  added  the  Tsardom  of 
Sibir.  He  also  wrote  that  he  was  awaiting  further 
orders  and  that  he  was  quite  willing  to  die,  but  that 
if  permitted  to  live  he  would  endeavour  to  win  new 
victories.  He  sent  Ivan  a  present  of  250  skins  of 
sable,  30  of  black  fox,  and  50  of  beaver. 

Towards  the  end  of  January  Koltso  and  his  fifty 
men  started  off  on  their  perilous  journey.  Over 
icefields  and  through  primeval  forests,  they  "  followed 
the  track  of  the  wolf "  on  snowshoes  and  on  little 
sledges  drawn  by  dogs  or  reindeer,  and  finally,  led  by 
native  guides,  they  crossed  the  Urals.  But  on  the 
other  side  they  had  to  make  a  halt  and  await  the  open- 
ing of  the  rivers,  so  that  several  months  elapsed  before 
they  arrived  at  the  Stroganovs.  Altogether  they  were 
ten  months  in  reaching  Moscow. 

The  tidings  of  the  conquest  of  Siberia  came  as  a 
delightful  surprise  to  Ivan.  For  days  nothing  else 
was  spoken  of  in  Moscow  but  the  news  of  "the  new 
Tsardom  which  God  had  given  to  Russia."  The 
church  bells  were  rung  calling  the  faithful  to  a 


STATUE   OF    YERMAK. 
By  Antakolski. 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA    221 

thanksgiving  service — it  was  as  if  a  ray  of  light  were 
piercing  the  impenetrable  gloom  which  seemed  to  have 
enveloped  Moscow.  Exaggerated  accounts  of  the 
victory  were  spread  abroad,  and  people  began  to  speak 
of  the  countless  numbers  killed  by  Yermak  and  his 
few  Cossacks  in  Siberia  ;  speculation  was  rife  as  to 
the  wonderful  treasures  to  be  found  there.  It  was  as 
though  the  trans-Ural  lands  had  never  been  heard  of 
before,  and  the  fact  that  tribute  had  been  paid  by 
Koutchum's  predecessor  was  forgotten  for  the  time 
being.  Nothing  must  detract  from  the  lustre  of  the 
fame  of  Yermak.  The  once  outlawed  Koltso  was 
admitted  into  the  presence  of  the  Tsar,  before  whom 
he  bowed  his  guilty  head  and  with  tears  in  his  eyes 
kissed  the  tyrant's  hand.  The  rude  Cossack  found 
himself  the  hero  of  the  hour,  and  this  ex-pirate  had  the 
pleasure  of  hearing  himself  spoken  of  as  a  valiant 
knight.  Yet  it  may  be  safe  to  assume  that  he  was 
glad  enough  when  the  moment  came  for  him  to  return 
to  the  wilds  of  Siberia. 

Koltso  took  with  him  the  permission  to  collect 
on  the  way  back  as  many  huntsmen  as  were  willing 
to  come  with  him  and  settle  in  the  cc  Land  of  Sables." 
The  Tsar  wished  the  occupation  of  his  new  territory 
to  be  carried  out  in  proper  style,  and  therefore,  in 
order  to  provide  for  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  new 
colonists,  he  commanded  the  Bishop  of  Vologda  to 
send  ten  priests  with  their  families  to  Siberia.  He 
also  sent  Prince  Bolkhovsky  and  300  armed  men, 
with  orders  to  pick  up  a  company  of  50  horsemen 
from  the  Stroganovs,  and  immediately  on  arrival  in 
Siberia  to  dispatch  the  captive  Tatar  prince,  Mahmet- 


222  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

Kul  to  Moscow.  When  giving  these  orders  Ivan 
had  not  realized  the  impossibility  of  such  a  journey 
at  that  season,  for  the  Urals  were  impassable  on 
horseback  in  winter.  When,  however,  he  was  made 
to  understand  the  conditions,  he  sent  messengers  to 
Bolkhovsky  with  orders  to  await  the  spring,  but  his 
orders  came  too  late,  for  that  noble  warrior,  in 
obedience  to  the  monarch's  command  had  already 
started  on  his  terrible  journey.  The  Prince  and  his 
men  accomplished  the  feat  of  crossing  500  versts  of 
mountains,  forests  and  plains  on  skis,  but  so  in- 
sufficient had  been  their  preparations,  so  scanty  their 
nourishment,  that,  when  at  last  they  reached  their 
destination,  they  were  utterly  exhausted. 

The  Imperial  messenger  delivered  to  Yermak  an 
affectionate  letter  from  the  Tsar  which  conveyed  to 
the  runaway  Cossack  a  complete  pardon,  and  expressed 
Russia's  "  eternal  gratitude "  for  the  great  service 
which  he  had  rendered  her.  The  title  of  C(  Prince 
of  Siberia "  was  bestowed  upon  him  and  he  was 
told  to  go  on  ruling  and  administering  as  he  had 
done  heretofore,  so  as  to  establish  law  and  order  and 
ensure  respect  for  the  Central  Authority.  Ivan  also 
sent  him  costly  presents — a  fur  coat  from  his  own 
back,  two  splendid  suits  of  armour,  and  a  large  silver 
bowl,  besides  rolls  of  silks  and  other  materials.  The 
Cossacks,  for  their  part,  treated  the  Imperial  repre- 
sentative and  his  men  with  every  honour,  and 
presented  him  with  sable  furs. 

Yermak,  with  his  increased  following,  now  prepared 
for  further  exploits,  but  his  hopes  were  doomed  to 
disappointment  ;  for  the  almost  superhuman  strain 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA    223 

through  which  the  new  arrivals  had  passed  had  begun 
to  tell  upon  them,  causing  them  to  fall  easy  victims 
to  the  bitter  cold  and  to  scurvy,  and  many  of  them 
succumbed  after  dreadful  sufferings — among  them 
Prince  Bolkhovsky.  To  make  matters  worse,  the 
Cossacks'  food  supply  ran  short,  a  long  spell  of 
extreme  cold  and  a  succession  of  blizzards  preventing 
the  natives  from  bringing  bread  and  the  Russians 
from  hunting  game.  Starvation  stared  them  in  the 
face,  and  the  number  of  sick  and  dying  increased,  and 
it  was  not  until  the  spring  that  their  sufferings  became 
less  acute. 

Then  at  last  was  Yermak  able  to  send  Prince 
Mahmet-Kul  to  Moscow,  the  Cossack  leader  taking 
advantage  of  this  opportunity  to  implore  the  Tsar 
to  send  more  men  without  delay ;  otherwise  he 
would  be  unable  to  hold  the  new  territory.  In  fact, 
matters  were  beginning  to  look  very  black  for  the 
brave  Yermak.  The  presence  of  Mahmet-Kul  in  their 
midst  had  so  far  rendered  the  whole  community 
immune  from  attack  by  Koutchum  ;  but  with  the 
departure  of  the  hostage  the  tide  of  fortune  seemed  to 
turn  against  the  "Prince  of  Siberia."  In  spite  of  the 
addition  to  his  numbers,  his  position  became  more 
and  more  difficult,  chiefly  on  account  of  the  changing 
attitude  of  the  Ostyak  princes.  The  sending  of  the 
Tatar  prince  to  Moscow  had  aroused  their  suspicions  ; 
it  had  begun  to  dawn  upon  them  that,  after  all,  there 
might  be  more  in  Yermak's  policy  of  conciliation  than 
appeared  on  the  surface.  True,  he  had  proved  him- 
self a  generous  conqueror,  but  what  was  to  follow  ? 

The   first   to   give  trouble    was  Karatch,  who    had 


224  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

professed  enmity  to  Koutchum  and  loyalty  to  Russia, 
and  who  now,  under  the  pretext  of  needing  help  to 
resist  attacks  made  upon  him  by  Nogai  Tatars,  asked 
Yermak  for  assistance.  Trusting  in  his  assurances  of 
good  faith,  Yermak  sent  Koltso  with  forty  men  to 
his  aid.  All,  however,  were  treacherously  put  to 
death.  The  great  leader  u  bewailed  their  deaths  as 
though  they  had  been  his  own  children,  and  especially 
did  he  bemoan  the  loss  of  his  staunch  friend  and 
comrade."  The  news  of  this  disaster  soon  spread, 
and  the  Cossacks  began  to  be  assailed  on  every  side. 
Karatch  planned  a  regular  attack  upon  them  and 
invested  Sibir,  hoping  to  starve  the  Cossacks  into  sur- 
render. Yermak  and  his  men,  however,  held  out  for 
several  months,  and  at  last,  when  driven  to  desper- 
ation, they  risked  a  sortie  by  night.  They  successfully 
attacked  the  sleeping  beleaguers,  killing  a  large  number 
of  them  before  the  whole  camp  was  sufficiently  aroused 
to  defend  itself.  Then  a  battle  ensued  in  which  the 
Russians  were  victorious,  but  the  respite  thus  gained 
did  not  last  long,  for  the  enemy  soon  collected  his 
scattered  forces  and  returned  with  reinforcements  from 
other  native  tribes.  Again,  however,  the  Tatars  were 
completely  routed.  Once  more  the  handful  of 
Cossacks  had  defeated  a  superior  force,  and  once 
more  Yermak's  supremacy  was  acknowledged  by  the 
surrounding  natives. 

All  went  well  with  the  Cossacks  during  the  summer 
of  the  year  1584,  and  Yermak,  in  order  to  keep  alive 
the  sense  of  fear  already  implanted  in  the  breast  of 
his  foes,  decided  to  pursue  Karatch  and  to  extend 
Russia's  rule  still  further  east.  He  succeeded  in 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA    225 

this  enterprise,  and  after  taking  various  little  towns 
and  forts,  returned  to  Isker  laden  with  new  trophies 
of  victory. 

During  the  two  years  that  the  Cossacks  had  been 
holding  Siberia,  commercial  intercourse  with  the  Far 
East  had  been  carried  on  ;  caravans  from  Bokhara 
came  to  the  city  and  fairs  were  set  up  at  which  the 
Russians  bartered  furs  for  the  produce  of  the  East. 
News  reached  Yermak  that  one  of  these  caravans  had 
been  arrested  on  its  way  to  Sibir  by  Koutchum  who 
was  roaming  over  the  steppes.  This  news  so  incensed 
him  that,  with  forty-nine  of  his  most  trusty  followers, 
he  set  off  at  once  in  search  of  his  elusive  antagonist. 
Up  the  river  they  sailed  in  their  little  boats,  en- 
deavouring all  day  long  to  trace  his  whereabouts,  but 
in  vain,  for  the  nomad  prince  was  always  moving  from 
place  to  place. 

As  the  day  drew  to  a  close,  Yermak,  realizing  the 
risk  of  going  any  further  with  so  few  men  and  also 
the  danger  of  resting  in  these  unknown  parts,  gave 
the  order  to  turn  back — tired  as  they  were.  But 
nightfall  and  the  gathering  gloom,  deepened  by  an 
approaching  storm,  compelled  the  Cossacks  to  seek 
shelter.  They  landed  on  a  little  island  close  to  the 
left  bank  of  the  river  which  was  within  the  Russian 
territory,  but  for  once  Yermak  omitted  to  take  the 
usual  precautions.  Perhaps  he  considered  the  deep 
river  a  sufficient  safeguard,  or  it  may  be  that  the 
howling  wind  and  the  swishing  sound  of  torrential 
rain,  together  with  great  fatigue  after  a  strenuous 
day,  dulled  his  sense  of  danger.  The  weary  Cossacks 

tied    the    boats    to    the   slender  willows  and,  without 
Q 


226  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

leaving  anyone  to  watch  over  their  safety,  fell  into 
the  heavy  sleep  of  exhaustion,  from  which  forty-eight 
of  them  never  awoke.  For  Koutchum  from  his 
hiding-place  nigh  at  hand  had  been  watching  the 
movements  of  the  Russians,  but  had  hesitated  to 
attack  them,  for  the  possibility  of  their  being  un- 
guarded was  outside  his  calculations.  Finally,  how- 
ever, he  sent  a  Tatar  to  reconnoitre,  and  when  the 
scout  returned  with  the  incredible  news  that  the 
men  were  all  fast  asleep,  he  sent  another  to  find  out 
if  this  was  true.  The  second  messenger  not  only 
confirmed  the  report,  but  brought  with  him  a  powder- 
horn  which  he  had  taken  from  the  side  of  one  of 
the  sleepers. 

Then,  under  cover  of  the  storm  and  darkness, 
Koutchum  and  his  men  forded  the  river,  and,  to 
quote  the  Chronicler,  "his  heart  rejoiced  and  he 
laughed  within  himself  as  he  fell  upon  the  sleepers  " 
— the  conquerors  of  his  realm.  Only  two  awoke  in 
time  to  realize  the  danger.  Yermak — who  was  one 
of  the  two — ran  for  the  boats,  but  the  storm  had 
torn  them  from  their  moorings.  In  despair  he  leapt 
into  the  deep  and  swift-flowing  river,  but  his  coat- 
of-mail  speedily  dragged  him  down  under  the  water 
and  there  the  hero  met  his  death.  His  unhampered 
companion  managed  to  reach  the  other  side,  and  to 
bring  to  his  comrades  in  Isker  the  tragic  news  of  the 
death  of  their  leader. 

This  disaster  struck  panic  into  the  Russian  soldiers 
and  the  remaining  Cossacks,  and  as  Yermak  was  no 
longer  there  to  infuse  courage  into  them,  they  lost 
all  heart,  and  nine  days  afterwards  they,  to  a  man, 


HOW  YERMAK  CONQUERED  SIBERIA    227 

forsook  the  city  and  fled  back  to  Russia  by  the  way 
they  had  come.  A  week  after  his  death  Yermak's 
body  was  found  by  a  Tatar,  who  recognized  the 
conqueror  of  Siberia  by  his  heavy  iron  armour  with 
the  golden  eagle  on  breast  and  back. 

Great  was  the  jubilation  among  the  Tatars  when 
they  realized  that  their  invincible  foe  was  no  more. 
The  Chronicler  relates  that  for  six  weeks  they  made 
sport  of  the  body,  riddling  it  with  arrows,  and  that 
Koutchum  himself  was  present  while  it  was  being  thus 
dishonoured.  Many  are  the  tales  which  have  been 
woven  around  Yermak's  death — among  others  that  the 
birds  of  prey,  instead  of  alighting  on  his  body,  flew 
away  from  it  with  wild  screams  ;  also  that  the  Tatars 
were  so  tormented  with  evil  dreams  and  fearful 
visions  that,  at  last,  for  their  own  sakes,  they  buried 
his  remains  with  the  utmost  solemnity  and  respect, 
offering  up  thirty  oxen  in  his  honour.  There,  beneath 
the  low  branches  of  a  Sibirian  fir  tree,  was  laid  to  rest 
the  body  of  the  dead  hero,  but  presently  a  rumour 
passed  round  among  the  natives  that  at  night  a  fiery 
pillar  had  been  seen  to  rise  from  the  tomb,  and  this  so 
terrified  them,  that  they  did  all  they  could  to  cover 
over  and  hide  from  view  the  grave  of  the  famous 
Cossack.  The  forest  still  jealously  guards  its  secret, 
and  what  the  giants  of  the  Taiga  may  be  whispering  to 
each  other  as  the  wind  sways  them  to  and  fro  above 
the  actual  spot  of  his  grave,  can  never  be  caught  by 
human  ears. 

It  seemed  for  the  moment  as  though,  with  the 
death  of  Yermak,  all  that  he  had  achieved  would  come 
to  naught.  But  this  was  not  the  case  ;  for  the 


228 


SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 


Cossacks  were  arrested  in  their  flight  and  turned  back 
by  a  relief  force  which  the  Tsar  had  sent  to  Yermak's 
assistance.  The  reconquest  of  Siberia  proved  a  very 
difficult  undertaking,  for  the  Russian  forces  had  now 
many  enemies  to  contend  with.  When,  however,  these 
had  been  subdued,  the  Siberian  lands  were  held  "  by 
easy  means,  rather  by  shewing  than  by  using  arms." 

To  the  conqueror  of  Siberia,  about  whose  exploits 
many  a  song  has  been  sung  and  whose  memory  will  ever 
live  in  the  heart  of  a  grateful  people,  a  monument  has 
been  erected  in  Tobolsk.  Unpretentious,  like  the  man  it 
commemorates,  is  the  simple  marble  obelisk  upon 
which  are  engraved  the  words  :  "  To  Yermak  the 
Conqueror  of  Siberia — 1581-1584." 


RUSSIAN    SLEDGE. 
After  Herberstein's  M-uscoviter  Wunderbare  Historien,  1567. 


CHAPTER  XI 


THE    FALSE    DMITRI 


FOREIGN    MERCENARY. 
By  De  Gheyn,  1558-1617. 


URING  Ivan's  reign, 
Muscovy  had  be- 
come a  byword  for 
oppression  and  cor- 
ruption amongst  the 
foreigners  who 
visited  it,  and  the 
numerous  records  of 
that  period,  many 
of  them  written  in 
English,  relate  the 
terrible  state  of 
unhappy  Russia, 
fail  to  express  their 
by  their  own 


Most  of    these  writers   do    not 

gratitude    for    the    blessings    enjoyed 

country,  and  profound  pity  for  the  Russians  in  their 

abject  dependence  and  helplessness  ;  at  the  same  time 

they    strongly    condemn    the    immorality  and    callous 

brutality  rampant. 

That  Russian  life  exhibited  such  grievous  conditions 
cannot  be  wondered  at,  when  we  consider  how  many 
decades  "  Judgment  had  turned  back  and  Justice 
stood  afar  off;  for  Truth  had  fallen  in  the  street 
and  Equity  could  not  enter."  Contemporary  writers, 

229 


23o  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

when  trying  to  express  their  opinion  about  Ivan  the 
Terrible,  seem  at  a  loss  for  words  in  which  to  describe 
his  terribleness,  compared  with  which — in  their  opinion 
— all  the  horrors  committed  by  other  tyrants  were  but 
mere  child's  play.  Is  it  surprising  that  as  a  result  of 
such  a  reign  the  people,  high  and  low,  should  have 
become  depraved  and  dishonest  ? 

The  man  who  proved  most  successful  in  the  art 
of  deception  at  the  Court  of  Muscovy,  and  who 
happened  also  to  be  in  the  most  favoured  position, 
was  Boris  Godounov,  brother-in-law  to  Ivan's  second 
son,  Feodor.  When  Ivan  the  Terrible  struck  the  fatal 
blow  that  killed  his  son  and  heir,  Boris  Godounov, 
who  was  son-in-law  to  Ivan's  most  fiendish  instrument, 
Malyuta  Skouratov,  had  been  standing  by  and,  in 
endeavouring  to  save  the  Tsarevitch,  himself  received 
a  blow  which  incapacitated  him  for  some  three  months. 

After  Ivan's  death,  his  son  Feodor,  who  was  feeble 
both  in  mind  and  body,  ascended  the  throne,  but 
although  nominally  ruler  of  all  the  Russias,  it  was 
Boris  Godounov  who  governed  in  his  name.  The 
weak-minded  but  harmless  youth,  whose  inclination 
was  to  play  at  religion,  and  whose  principal  amuse- 
ment was  to  ring  the  church  bells,  was  only  too  glad 
to  leave  all  his  responsibilities  in  the  hands  of  his 
capable  brother-in-law.  The  virtual  regent  was  a 
born  statesmen  who  had  a  keen  perception  of  what 
the  Empire  needed,  and  much  of  what  he  did  was 
thus  not  merely  for  personal  gain.  The  English 
Ambassador  wrote  that  :  <c  The  great  taxes,  customes 
and  duties,  which  were  before  layd  upon  the  people 
in  the  old  Emperours  time,  were  now  abated,  and 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  231 

some  wholly  remitted,  and  no  punishments  com- 
manded to  be  used  without  sufficient  and  due  proofe, 
although  the  crime  were  capital,  deserving  death. 
Many  dukes  and  noblemen  of  great  houses,  that 
were  under  displeasure  and  imprisoned  twenty  years 
by  the  old  Emperour,  were  now  set  at  liberty  and 
restored  to  their  lands  ;  all  prisoners  were  set  at 
libertie  and  their  trespasses  forgiven.  In  summe,  a 
great  alteration  universally  in  the  government  followed  ; 
and  yet  all  was  done  quietly,  civilly,  peaceably,  without 
trouble  to  the  prince  or  offence  to  the  subject  :  and 
this  bred  great  assurance  and  honour  to  the  Kingdom." 

Foreign  politics  were  also  under  his  control,  and 
with  England  especially  lively  intercourse  was  carried 
on.  The  letters  exchanged  between  Queen  Elizabeth 
of  England,  the  Tsar  Feodor  and  Boris  throw  an 
interesting  light  on  the  relations  between  the  rulers. 
It  was  due  to  the  latter's  influence  that  the  Tsar  wrote 
to  Elizabeth,  "  We  deseyre  moste  lovinge  sister  that 
brotherlie  love  and  ametie  may  be  continued  betwixte 
us." 

Conditions  left  Boris  Godounov  free  to  act  as  he 
liked,  but  he  never  lost  sight  of  the  fact  that  his 
power  was  dependent  upon  the  life  of  the  Tsar. 
Although  he  was  always  ready  to  be  generous  and 
gracious,  and  to  do  good  to  others  in  any  way  that 
did  not  injure  himself  or  put  him  to  personal  incon- 
venience, he  shrank  from  no  crime  if  thereby  he 
could  save  himself  or  gain  his  own  ends.  A  past 
master  in  the  art  of  self-restraint,  never  acting  on 
impulse  but  carefully  calculating  every  word  and 
action,  Boris  stuck  tenaciously  to  the  line  mapped 


232  SOME    RUSSIAN   HEROES 

out  for  the  fulfilment  of  his  desires — to  get  rich,  to 
gain  influence,  to  raise  himself  to  the  summit  of 
power  and  to  establish  his  family  on  the  throne. 

As  Boris  Godounov  could  not  reckon  on  the 
support  of  the  great  boyars  in  his  ambitious  schemes, 
he  did  his  best  to  win  over  the  lesser  nobles,  who 
were  the  chief  sufferers  from  the  lack  of  labour.  In 
1597  he  issued  an  ukase  by  which  the  peasants  were 
tied  down  to  the  land,  and  in  this  way  many  millions 
of  hitherto  free  people  were  changed  into  serfs. 
From  a  pecuniary  point  of  view  this  law  was  a  gain 
to  the  land-owners,  who  were  now  given  the  right 
to  pursue  and  fetch  back  their  fugitive  serfs. 
Thousands  of  these  fled  to  the  Cossacks  on  the 
Don,  thus  artificially  increasing  the  turbulent  restless 
element  in  the  land. 

Although  Boris  achieved  his  aim  of  winning  the 
gratitude  and  thereby  securing  the  adherence  of  the 
lesser  nobility,  still  between  him  and  his  authority 
stood  a  young  life — that  of  the  infant  brother  of  the 
Tsar,  who  had  been  banished  with  his  mother,  the 
seventh  wife  of  the  late  Tsar,  to  Uglitch,  a  small 
town  at  some  distance  from  Moscow.  One  day  a 
few  years  later,  about  the  time  that  the  Tsarevitch 
was  a  lad  eight  years  old,  Uglitch  was  startled  by 
the  news  that  he  had  died,  and  the  rumour  quickly 
spread  that  he  had  been  killed  by  order  of  Boris. 
It  has  never  been  ascertained  how  far  the  Regent 
was  a  party  to  this  murder — whether  he  had  dropped 
a  hint,  or  whether  his  creatures  had  of  their  own 
initiative  planned  the  deed,  knowing  full  well  how 
welcome  the  child's  death  would  be  to  Boris,  and 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  233 

that,  if  it  was  managed  cleverly  enough,  they  would 
be  richly  rewarded.  However  it  may  have  been,  the 
fact  is  that  the  Regent  showered  signs  of  his  favour 
upon  their  families. 

Although  overcome  with  grief,  Tsar  Feodor  took  y 
no  measures  to  find  out  the  truth  of  the  report, 
simply  accepting  Boris  Godounov's  statement  that  the 
child  had  died  of  injuries  received  during  an  attack  of 
epilepsy.  For  the  sake  of  appearances  a  commission 
of  inquiry  was  instituted  by  the  powerful  minister 
himself.  That  the  verdict  of  death  by  accident  should 
be  confirmed  was  a  foregone  conclusion,  as  the 
members  of  the  commission  were  in  his  pay.  Osten- 
sibly to  punish  the  culpable  negligence  of  the 
Tsarevitch's  entourage,  but  in  reality  to  get  rid  of 
anyone  who  could  reveal  the  truth,  Boris  had  almost 
all  the  inhabitants  of  Uglitch  massacred  or  sent  into 
exile.  The  young  Tsaritsa  was  forced  to  take  the 
veil. 

Seven  years  after  the  murder  of  the  Tsarevitch  the 
Tsar  Feodor  died,  and  with  him  the  line  of  Rurik 
became  extinct.  After  some  clever  wire-pulling  Boris 
Godounov  was  elected  Tsar,  and  at  "  the  request  of 
the  people"  he  was  crowned  Tsar  in  1597.  To 
quote  the  chronicler  :  "  Thus  did  the  Regent  at  last 
overtake  the  Golden  Chariot  which  he  had  pursued 
with  so  much  subtlety  and  guile."  Boris  did  all  in 
his  power  to  lull  the  people  into  a  false  sense  of 
security  in  order  to  win  their  love  and  allegiance, 
but  this  he  never  succeeded  in  doing,  and  was  "  one 
rather  obeyed  than  loved,  being  feared."  He  was 
always  popular  enough  with  the  clergy  and  officials, 


234  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

but  the  common  people  could  not  forget  that  their 
enslavement  was  due  to  a  measure  which  had  been 
introduced  by  him,  and  all  the  temporary  benefits 
he  could  bestow  upon^them  would  never  make  up  for 
their  loss  of  personal  freedom  and  liberty  of  movement. 

The  first  two  years  of  his  reign  seemed  like  an 
oasis  in  the  desert  of  Russian  existence,  for  Boris 
kept  the  generous  promises  made  at  his  coronation, 
and  did  his  utmost  to  be  a  real  father  and  not  a 
tyrant  to  his  people.  The  nation  had  been  able  to 
breathe  freely,  and  foreigners  commented  upon  his 
generous  rule,  and,  according  to  contemporary  reports, 
Russia  loved  her  crowned  head. 

Outwardly  all  seemed  to  be  going  well  with  Boris. 
His  highest  ambitions  had  been  realized — surely  he 
had  every  reason  to  be  confident  and  at  rest.  The 
French  Envoy  describes  him  as  "joyissant  paisible- 
ment  de  1'Empire,  en  plus  grande  prosperite  qu'aucun 
de  ses  predecesseurs."  What  was  it  then  that  made 
him  so  anxious  to  be  prayed  for  by  the  people  ? 

Clouds  were  slowly  rising  on  the  clear  horizon  of 
the  ruler's  life — the  rumour  spread  that  the  Tsarevitch 
was  not  dead,  but  had  been  growing  up  in  seclusion, 
and  at  last  news  reached  the  Tsar  Boris  that  in 
Poland  someone  claiming  to  be  the  Tsarevitch  was 
enjoying  the  favour  and  support  of  the  Polish  nobles 
and  of  the  King.  So  persistent  were  the  rumours 
as  to  the  identity  of  this  individual  that  Boris  himself 
began  to  doubt  whether  there  might  not  be  some 
truth  in  them,  and  whether,  after  all,  it  might  not 
have  been  a  substitute  of  the  real  Tsarevitch  who 
had  actually  died. 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  235 

It  was  because  Boris  himself  was  not  convinced  of 
the  truth  of  this  statement  that  he  now  sent  for  the 
Tsarevitch's  mother,  of  whom  he  inquired  :  u  Is  thy 
son  alive  ?"  "  I  do  not  know,"  was  her  reply.  This 
so  incensed  the  wife  of  Boris,  in  whom,  for  the 
moment,  the  blood  of  Malyuta  Skouratov  seemed  to 
well  up,  that  she  swished  a  burning  candle  into 
the  face  of  the  terrified  nun,  and  would  have  burnt 
out  her  eyes  but  for  the  intervention  of  the  Tsar. 
She  now  confessed  in  a  whisper  :  "  I  was  told  that 
my  son  was  secretly  abducted,  but  those  who  told 
me  so  are  dead."  Boris  was  greatly  upset  by  this 
information,  and  commanded  the  ex-Tsaritsa  to  be 
securely  guarded. 

Nearer  and  nearer  drew  the  danger.  A  story  con- 
cocted by  Boris  in  conjunction  with  the  patriarch  was 
now  published  abroad,  namely  that  the  pretender  to 
the  throne  was  merely  a  renegade  monk  named 
Grishka  Otrepiev.  This  tale  made  little  impression 
upon  the  people,  and  the  anathema  pronounced  against 
that  individual  left  them  utterly  unmoved.  They 
were  shrewd  enough  to  realize  that  Boris  was  bound 
to  promulgate  some  such  story  for  the  sake  of  self- 
preservation.  The  patriarch  might  hurl  anathemas 
against  Grishka  as  much  as  he  liked — that  could  not 
injure  the  Tsarevitch,  whose  name  was  not  "  Grishka," 
but  Dmitri. 

Who  then  was  he — this  mysterious  young  man 
who,  like  a  comet,  illuminated  for  a  short  while  the 
darkness  of  Russian  history  with  unusual  brilliance, 
but  left  in  his  wake  wars  and  disasters  ? 

Who    was    he  ?     According   to    his    own  words  to 


236  SOME    RUSSIAN   HEROES 

Pope  Clement  VIII,  he  was  "  the  son  of  the  Tsar 
Ivan  IV — escaped  out  of  the  hands  of  a  most  cruel 
tyrant — saved  from  death,  delivered — by  the  special 
providence  of  the  Almighty."  This  young  man, 
once  he  had  put  forth  his  claim,  never  wavered, 
and  both  privately  and  publicly  acted  as  though  his 
claims  were  an  incontrovertible  fact.  His  own  firm 
assertion  of  the  righteousness  of  his  cause  convinced 
many  of  his  genuineness  ;  others,  though  believing 
him  to  be  a  fraud,  upheld  his  claim  from  motives 
of  self-interest  or  from  hatred  of  Boris  Godounov. 
Many  followed  him  from  sheer  love  of  fighting  and 
adventure,  while  a  few  again  saw  in  him  a  possible 
tool  for  the  furthering  of  their  own  plans  and 
purposes. 

Even  to  this  day  it  is  impossible  to  make  sure 
about  his  origin,  or  to  fathom  the  mystery  which 
envelops  the  early  life  of  this  gallant,  courteous  and 
generous  youth,  who  spoke  Russian  with  a  slight 
Polish  accent  and  Polish  with  a  Russian  accent  ;  who, 
although  he  claimed  to  be  Ivan's  son,  was  as  different 
from  any  former  Russian  Tsar  as  was  an  active, 
valorous  knight  of  the  days  of  chivalry  from  an 
indolent  Oriental  potentate.  Such  was  the  mysterious 
adventurer  who  suddenly  stepped  into  the  limelight 
of  Polish  and  Russian  politics. 

It  was  during  the  winter  of  1603-4  that  the  Polish 
magnate,  Wisniowiecki,  recognized  in  one  of  his 
servants — a  youth  of  unknown  antecedents — the  legi- 
timate heir  to  the  throne  of  Muscovy.  There  are 
different  versions  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  hero 
of  the  romance  which  followed  revealed  his  identity. 


THE    FALSE   DMITRI  237 

According  to  that  given  to  the  King  of  Poland  by 
Prince  Adam  Wisniowiecki,  a  young  man  in  his 
service  feeling  himself  to  be  dying,  sent  for  a  Russian 
priest,  to  whom,  after  having  made  his  last  confession, 
he  said  :  "If  I  die,  see  that  they  bury  me  with 
honour  as  a  Tsar's  child."  He  refused,  however, 
to  give  any  explanation  of  this  surprising  statement, 
promising  that  after  his  death  the  priest  would 
discover  everything  from  certain  proofs  which  he 
would  find  among  his  effects.  Until  that  moment 
arrived  he  was  to  guard  the  sick  man's  secret 
religiously. 

Despite  this  injunction,  the  priest  imparted  the 
news  to  his  patron,  who  immediately  came  in  person 
to  visit  the  mysterious  youth.  Finding  that  he  could 
elicit  no  reply  to  his  numerous  questions,  he  and 
the  priest  took  the  matter  into  their  own  hands  and 
began  to  search  amongst  his  possessions.  Before  long 
they  made  a  find  which  to  them  was  proof  positive 
of  his  identity.  The  possibilities  opened  up  by  this 
discovery  made  the  brain  of  the  ambitious  Polish 
magnate  reel  ;  it  tickled  his  vanity  to  think  that  the 
unfortunate  son  of  Ivan  the  Terrible  had  sought  and 
found  refuge  in  his  house.  The  young  man  inspired 
him  with  confidence,  and  his  reluctance  to  disclose 
his  identity  until  he  felt  the  approach  of  death  helped 
to  impress  the  Prince  in  his  favour.  After  the  youth's 
recovery,  which  seems  to  have  been  a  very  rapid  one, 
Wisniowiecki  provided  his  former  dependent,  now 
the  Pretender,  with  costly  apparel ;  placed  servants, 
horses  and  carriages  at  his  disposal,  and  treated  him 
with  honour  and  respect  in  every  way. 


238  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

He  took  him  on  a  visit  to  his  brother,  Prince 
Constantine,  where  Dmitri  made  the  acquaintance  of  his 
host's  sister-in-law,  Marina  Mniszek,  daughter  of  the 
Voyevoda  of  Sandomir.  Prince  Adam  now  also  in- 
formed the  king  of  his  discovery,  giving  a  full  report 
of  the  following  details  which  had  been  elicited  from 
Dmitri.  In  the  first  instance  he  was  saved  by  his 
guardian,  Bogdan  Byelski,  who,  suspecting  an  attack  on 
the  Tsarevitch's  life,  removed  the  boy,  substituting  in 
his  stead  another  boy  who  was  killed  that  very  night 
by  the  agents  of  Boris.  Dmitri  for  a  time  was  entrusted 
to  the  care  of  a  nobleman.  Later  on,  he  was  placed 
for  greater  safety  in  a  monastery  ;  but  in  order  to  hide 
his  whereabouts  he  had  wandered  from  monastery  to 
monastery  and  finally,  hearing  that  Boris  had  discovered 
the  truth  and  was  causing  search  to  be  made  for  him, 
he  had  been  forced  to  flee  into  Polish  territory.  There 
in  the  Ukraina  he  entered  a  school,  founded  and  kept 
up  by  the  noblemen  Gabriel  and  Roman  Goiski,  jealous 
adherents  of  a  Unitarian  sect.  In  their  school  free 
thought  was  propagated,  and  a  great  point  was  also  made 
of  physical  culture.  Evidently  the  riding,  shooting,  and 
other  outdoor  sports  appealed  to  Dmitri  more  than  the 
classics,  for  though  he  afterwards  excelled  in  horseman- 
ship, he  never  displayed  more  than  a  rudimentary 
knowledge  of  Latin.  It  was  after  leaving  the  Goiskis 
that  he  took  the  fateful  step  of  entering  the  service  of 
Prince  Adam  Wisniowiecki. 

When  the  news  of  the  Tsarevitch's  reappearance 
became  noised  abroad,  a  Muscovite  in  the  service  of 
the  Polish  Chancellor  came  forward  claiming  to  have 
seen  the  little  lad  in  Uglitch,  and  when  confronted 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  239 

with  the  mysterious  youth,  he  immediately  identified 
him  as  the  rightful  heir  by  means  of  certain  marks — a 
wart  on  the  bridge  of  his  nose  close  to  the  right  eye, 
one  arm  shorter  than  the  other,  and  a  birthmark  on  the 
wrist.  This  decided  any  doubts  there  may  have  been 
in  the  minds  of  the  Polish  magnates,  who  were  probably 
predisposed  to  credit  the  story.  The  news  that  the 
identity  of  Dmitri  was  thus  established  spread  all  over 
the  kingdom,  and  the  fact  that  such  influential  men  as 
the  two  Wisniowieckis  supported  him,  attracted  to  his 
standard  large  numbers  of  the  adventure-loving  Poles. 
They  were  moved,  too,  by  interest  in  his  pathetic 
history,  and  perhaps  still  more  by  his  promises  of 
generous  reward  should  he  come  to  his  own. 

Yuri  Mniszek,  the  Voyevoda  of  Sandomir,  one  of  the 
richest  and  most  influential  men  in  the  country,  and  a 
persona  grata  with  the  King,  proved  himself  of  invaluable 
assistance  to  Dmitri.  From  the  very  start  he  had  been 
taken  into  the  confidence  of  the  Wisniowieckis,  who 
brought  the  young  claimant  to  visit  him,  and  the  sudden 
and  violent  attachment  which  Dmitri  formed  for  his 
daughter  Marina  fired  the  ambition  of  the  Voyevoda.  It 
was  a  unique  chance  for  a  Polish  maiden  to  become  the 
wife  of  a  ruler  of  Russia  ;  he  saw  himself  in  imagination 
father-in-law  of  the  Tsar,  and  became  full  of  zeal  for 
the  cause.  He  made  his  support  conditional  on  the 
promise  that  a  marriage  between  Dmitri  and  his  daughter 
Marina  should  take  place  immediately  after  Dmitri's 
accession  to  the  throne  ;  that  the  new  Tsar  should  pay 
all  his  debts,  and  provide  him  with  means  for  the 
journey  to  Moscow  ;  that  Marina  should  be  presented 
with  Novgorod  and  Pskov  as  a  dowry,  and  lastly  that 


24o  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

he,  her  father,  should  be  appointed  Governor  of  the 
principalities  of  Smolensk  and  Seversk. 

From  Sandomir  Prince  Adam  took  his  proteg6  to 
Cracow  to  present  him  to  King  Sigismund.  The 
Jesuits  were  exceedingly  anxious  to  find  a  tool  for  the 
execution  of  their  plans  for  furthering  the  Papal  policy 
with  regard  to  Russia,  and  therefore  may  have  at  an 
earlier  stage  brought  their  influence  to  bear  upon  the 
King  to  side  with  Dmitri.  They  made  his  personal 
acquaintance,  however,  only  after  he  had  been  received 
by  the  King,  whose  hand  he  kissed  in  the  presence  of  the 
most  powerful  Polish  ministers.  At  this  interview,  in 
a  few  well-chosen  words,  the  youth  prayed  the  King  to 
support  his  most  righteous  cause,  and  expressed  the 
hope  that  his  triumph  might  benefit  Christendom  in 
general  and  Poland  in  particular. 

After  this  little  speech  Dmitri  was  asked  to  leave  the 
council  chamber  for  a  while,  and  when  recalled  was 
thus  addressed  by  the  King  :  "  God  be  with  you, 
Prince  Dmitri  of  Moscow.  We,  having  considered 
your  statements  and  verified  your  proofs,  recognize  in 
you  the  veritable  son  of  Ivan,  and  in  token  of  our 
sincere  goodwill  towards  you,  we  grant  you  an  annual 
allowance  of  40,000  florins.  Moreover,  as  a  true 
friend  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Poland  you  are  at  liberty 
to  enter  into  negotiations  with  our  nobles  and  to 
utilize  to  the  fullest  extent  the  help  they  are  willing 
to  afford  you."  In  return  for  these  favours  Dmitri 
promised  to  comply  with  all  the  requests  made  to  him, 
namely,  to  hand  over  to  the  crown  of  Poland  the 
territories  of  Smolensk  and  Seversk,  to  build  Roman 
Catholic  churches  in  Russia,  to  admit  the  Jesuits  into 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  241 

his  realm,  to  assist  Sigismund  to  secure  the  crown  of 
Sweden,  and  to  do  his  utmost  to  bring  about  a  union 
between  Muscovy  and  Poland.  It  was  as  easy  to  make 
any  number  of  promises  as  to  make  one,  and  he  showed 
no  hesitation  in  doing  so. 

It  was  now  that  Dmitri  made  the  acquaintance  of  the 
Papal  Nuncio  Rangoni.  This  shrewd  diplomatist, 
after  instituting  careful  inquiries  and  getting  into 
communication  with  a  Livonian,  a  former  servant  of 
the  Tsarevitch  at  Uglitch,  had  finally  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  Dmitri's  claim  was  a  just  one.  In  thus 
deciding  he  was  influenced  by  the  attitude  of  the  Polish 
magnates,  as  well  as  by  the  appearance  of  uncertainty  in 
a  letter  of  Boris  Godounov  to  the  King  with  regard  to 
the  claimant.  Accordingly  when  Dmitri  visited  him 
shortly  after  the  audience  with  the  King,  the  Papal 
Nuncio  had  already  made  his  report  to  the  Pope  about 
the  interesting  young  man.  Dmitri's  education  in  the 
Arian  sect  had  apparently  left  him  dissatisfied,  and  after 
long  and  serious  conversations  with  the  priests  he  came 
to  accept  the  Romish  faith. 

The  King  of  Poland  now  found  himself  in  an 
awkward  predicament.  Only  three  years  previously 
he  had  concluded  an  armistice  with  Boris,  and  therefore 
could  not  declare  war  against  him  ;  but  on  the  other 
hand  he  did  not  feel  justified  in  preventing  the  legitimate 
son  of  Ivan  IV  from  claiming  his  rightful  inheritance. 
Thus  the  policy  which  he  was  of  necessity  forced  to 
adopt  was  one  of  passivity.  He  allowed  his  nobles  to 
take  the  part  of  Dmitri,  but  himself  kept  strictly  to  the 
letter  of  his  agreement  with  the  Tsar.  This  had  been 
drawn  up  according  to  the  terms  of  the  Polish 


242  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

constitution  and,  while  it  bound  the  King,  it  left  his 
subjects  free  to  make  war  on  their  own  account  and  at 
their  own  expense.  The  support  which  he  himself 
could  give  was  therefore  only  indirect,  by  secretly 
favouring  those  of  his  nobles  who  came  forward  to 
assist  the  claimant,  and  by  permitting  Mniszek  to  keep 
the  revenues  of  Sandomir  for  the  payment  of  the  troops 
which  rallied  round  Dmitri's  standard,  instead  of 
paying  them  into  the  privy  purse.  No  wonder  that 
this  kind  of  support  was  too  vague  and  indefinite 
to  please  Dmitri,  who  soon  became  dissatisfied  with 
his  position  at  Cracow.  He  was  burning  to  get  at 
least  as  far  as  Kiev,  even  if  he  should  be  obliged  to  wait 
a  while  before  entering  Muscovite  territory.  Before 
taking  a  step  forward  he  had,  however,  to  overcome 
the  opposition  of  certain  of  the  Polish  magnates,  chief 
amongst  whom  was  the  Voyevoda  Zamoyski,  an  enemy 
of  the  Jesuits,  who  did  not  hesitate  to  denounce  him  as 
an  impostor. 

In  these  circumstances  Dmitri  solicited  Rangoni's 
mediation  at  the  Papal  Court.  He  was  well  aware 
that  the  Pope  had  always  desired  the  conversion  of 
Russia,  and  he  hoped  to  gain  the  Papal  support  by 
offering  himself  as  a  willing  tool  for  the  furtherance 
of  this  end.  He  also  himself  wrote  a  letter  to  Pope 
Clement  VIII,  which  contained  the  following  passage — 

"  Most  Holy  and  Most  Blessed  Father  in  Christ. 
Who  it  is  that  dares  thus  to  address  your  Holiness, 
your  Holiness  will  learn  from  the  most  illustrious  and 
most  reverend  Nuncio  at  the  Court  of  the  Most  Serene 
King  of  Poland,  to  whom  I  have  communicated  the 
origin  and  causes  of  all  my  resolutions.  I  have  escaped 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  243 

out  of  the  hands  of  a  most  cruel  tyrant,  and  the 
Almighty  God  has  delivered  me  from  death  by  His 
special  and  wonderful  Providence  throughout  my 
career,  even  from  my  infancy,  .  .  .  and  has  led 
me  into  the  dominions  of  the  King  of  Poland  where 
I  have  lived  hidden  and  unknown  until  the  time  came 
when  I  had  to  declare  my  identity  and  appear  before 
the  King.  After  having  been  received  by  the  King, 
and  after  having  carefully  observed  the  flourishing  state 
of  the  Catholic  religion  according  to  the  rite  of  the 
Roman  church,  I  felt  drawn  to  it  and  joined  myself 
to  it.  I  found  by  the  grace  of  God  an  eternal  and 
a  better  kingdom  than  the  one  of  which  I  had  been 
deprived  by  the  extreme  impiousness  of  a  Tyrant. 
My  anxiety  for  the  salvation  of  my  own  soul  made 
me  realize  the  danger  that  menaces  the  whole  of 
Muscovy  by  reason  of  the  Greek  schism  which  is  in 
contradiction  to  the  unity  of  the  Catholic  church,  and 
how  unjustified  had  been  the  authors  and  promoters 
of  this  schism  in  rejecting  the  immaculate  and  ancient 
doctrines  of  the  Roman  Catholic  and  Apostolic  Church. 
Therefore  by  the  unmerited  grace  of  God,  who  has 
given  strength  to  my  soul,  without  further  hesitation 
I  have  entered  into  the  unity  of  the  Roman  faith, 
I  have  become  one  of  the  flock  of  your  Holiness,  the 
chief  Pastor  of  Christendom.  .  .  ." 

Dmitri  left  Cracow  in  April  1604,  but  before 
starting  on  his  campaign  he  spent  some  three  months 
in  Sambor,  the  Voyevoda  Mniszek's  castle,  where 
the  conditions  in  regard  to  his  marriage  were  definitely 
drawn  up.  He  promised  in  the  event  of  his  obtaining 


244  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

the  throne,  immediately  to  send  ambassadors  to  King 
Sigismund  to  sue  for  his  consent  to  the  marriage,  and 
to  present  to  his  father-in-law,  apart  from  the  grants 
already  promised,  the  sum  of  1,000,000  florins.  In 
default  of  keeping  these  promises,  Marina  was  to 
be  set  at  liberty  to  claim  a  divorce. 

At  the  Voyevoda's  residence  Dmitri  found  himself 
in  the  midst  of  luxury  and  of  every  kind  of  amusement. 
Hunting,  feasting  and  music  were  the  order  of  the  day, 
and  the  young  claimant,  owing  to  his  agility,  courage 
and  strength,  appeared  to  great  advantage  in  these 
surroundings.  His  courtship  of  Marina  did  not  pre- 
vent  him  from  pushing  forward  his  military  prepara- 
tions. These  could  not  be  actually  completed  until 
Dmitri  had  won  over  to  his  side  Zamoyski,  the  leader 
of  the  Polish  army  ;  but  finally,  after  a  personal  inter- 
view which  Mniszek  arranged  for  him  with  Zamoyski, 
he  received  the  desired  permission  to  start  with  his 
^army  for  Russia.  Dmitri  had  assured  the  Polish 
leader  that  the  Russian  people  were  ready  to  desert 
Boris  at  any  moment,  and  that  there  was  no  doubt 
about  their  willingness  to  come  over  to  his  side  ; 
also  that  secret  agents  from  Moscow  had  come  to 
him  with  assurances  that  the  inhabitants  of  the 
capital  would  declare  in  his  favour  as  soon  as  he 
appeared  in  their  midst. 

There  seemed  to  be  no  reason  for  waiting  longer, 
when  suddenly  an  unforeseen  obstacle  blocked  the 
way. 

Ostrogski,  the  Castellan  of  Cracow,  who  had  from 
the  first  been  antagonistic  to  Dmitri's  enterprise, 
now  prohibited  the  troops  from  crossing  the  frontier. 


THE    FALSE   DMITRI  245 

This  created  for  the  time  a  deadlock.  Every  possible 
lever  was  brought  to  bear  upon  the  situation — even 
the  intervention  of  the  Pope  was  craved.  Dmitri 
protested  that,  for  the  time,  at  least,  he  would 
content  himself  with  merely  crossing  the  frontier  and 
establishing  there  a  base  of  operations.  Then  another 
incident  occurred.  The  opponents  of  Dmitri's  claim 
asserted  that  he  was  Grishka  Otrepiev,  a  renegade 
monk,  and,  just  before  he  set  off,  a  man  pretending 
to  be  the  uncle  of  this  monk  made  his  appearance 
in  Cracow  and  demanded  to  be  confronted  with 
Dmitri,  whom  he  claimed  to  be  his  runaway  nephew. 
The  man  promised  that  should  he  fail  to  identify 
him  he  would  acclaim  him  as  Tsar.  The  magnates, 
however,  made  short  work  of  this  interruption,  for 
they  had  no  intention  of  allowing  their  actions  to 
be  thus  called  into  question  by  one  who  was  not 
even  armed  with  official  credentials  from  Moscow. 

The  military  preparations,  so  assiduously  carried 
on  by  Dmitri's  influential  supporters,  were  now  at 
last  completed.  It  was  time  to  start.  At  his  head- 
quarters in  Leopol  were  gathered  together  gay  Polish 
cavaliers  in  search  of  adventure,  whose  swords  were 
ever  half  out  of  the  scabbard,  and  large  numbers 
of  Russians  who  had  become  Polish  subjects — the 
restless  element  of  the  venturesome  South  —  and 
2000  Zaporogian  Cossacks.  On  August  28th,  1605, 
Mniszek  officially  informed  Zamoyski  of  the  opening 
of  the  campaign.  Dmitri  had  already  sent  proclama- 
tions to  Muscovy  announcing  to  the  Russians  the 
arrival  of  their  rightful  Tsar  and  inviting  them  to 
Come  and  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  him.  The 


246  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

5000  followers  with  whom  he  set  out  from  Leopol 
rapidly  increased  in  numbers.  With  an  unerring 
instinct  Dmitri  made  straight  for  Kiev,  realizing  how 
strongly  it  would  appeal  to  national  sentiment  for 
the  claimant  to  the  throne  of  Russia  to  have  made 
the  "  Mother "  of  Russian  cities  his  starting-point. 
For  Kiev  was  still  hallowed  by  the  memory  of  his 
ancestors,  St.  Vladimir  and  Vladimir  Monomach, 
whose  crown  Dmitri  intended  to  place  upon  his 
own  head. 

Three  days  were  spent  in  Kiev  and  then  the 
campaign  began  in  earnest.  After  crossing  the 
Dnieper,  the  army  marched  through  the  plains  and 
forests  of  the  Ukraina,  until  on  October  jist  they 
came  upon  the  first  Russian  fort.  The  garrison, 
consisting  of  700  soldiers,  went  over  to  Dmitri  in 
a  body,  and  on  his  entrance  he  was  acclaimed  by  all 
as  the  Tsar  of  Russia.  Thus  at  the  very  outset 
fortune  smiled  upon  the  adventurer.  The  fortified 
town  of  Tchernigov,  to  which  he  came  next,  stood 
out  against  him,  but  when  at  last,  after  a  severe 
struggle  and  much  bloodshed,  it  capitulated,  Dmitri 
was  welcomed  into  the  town  as  "  Prince  Dmitri 
Ivanovitch,  our  Fair  Sun,"  and  the  citizens  thanked 
God  for  having  restored  to  them  their  rightful 
sovereign.  Leaving  Tchernigov,  he  was  greeted  all 
along  the  route  by  people  who  came  to  meet  him 
with  "bread  and  salt"  —  the  traditional  sign  of 
welcome  to  a  sovereign — and  all  who  carried  arms 
swelled  the  number  of  his  followers.  On  Novem- 
ber nth  Dmitri  approached  the  town  of  Novgorod- 
Seversk,  where  he  met  with  his  first  serious  rebuff. 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  247 

The  great  Voyevoda  Basmanov,  who  commanded  the 
armies  of  Boris,  succeeded  in  preventing  the  citizens 
from  going  out  to  welcome  him,  burnt  down  the 
suburbs,  and  several  times  repulsed  his  attacks. 
This  discouraged  the  fickle  Poles,  many  of  whom 
left  Dmitri,  but  their  places  were  speedily  filled  by 
Russians. 

The  Don  Cossacks  now  sent  a  special  messenger 
to  assure  him  of  their  loyalty.  As  a  proof  of  good 
faith  their  messenger  brought  with  him,  bound  in 
chains,  the  envoy  whom  Boris  had  sent  to  them  with 
a  sum  of  money  to  buy  their  loyalty.  They,  how- 
ever, preferred  to  serve  his  rival.  When  led  into 
the  presence  of  Dmitri,  the  captive  messenger  of 
Boris  immediately  knelt  down  and  acknowledged  him 
to  be  the  rightful  Tsar.  The  man  was  of  course 
instantly  released  from  his  chains,  and  subsequently 
proved  himself  to  be  a  trustworthy  informant  with 
regard  to  what  was  going  on  in  the  capital,  especially 
as  to  the  attitude  of  the  people  towards  the  claimant. 

The  next  attempt  which  Boris  made  to  get  over 
his  difficulties  was  equally  unsuccessful  ;  for  the 
assassin  whom  he  hired  to  put  his  rival  out  of  the 
way  was  himself  caught  and  beheaded.  Many  towns 
threw  open  their  gates  to  Dmitri  ;  some  of  the 
Voyevodas  voluntarily  declared  themselves  to  be  on 
his  side,  while  others  were  bound  and  carried  into 
the  presence  of  the  Tsarevitch  by  their  own  followers. 
These  captives  were  at  once  liberated,  with  the  result 
that  they  all  swore  to  serve  Dmitri. 

A  new  contingent,  under  Prince  Mstislavski,  was 
now  sent  against  him.  After  a  fierce  fight  it  was  . 


248  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

beaten  by  the  forces  of  Dmitri.  This  victory,  how- 
ever, did  not  help  to  appease  the  discontentment 
of  the  Poles,  who,  disappointed  at  not  getting  the 
chances  of  looting  which  they  had  hoped  for,  left 
him  in  the  lurch.  For  the  moment  fortune  seemed 
to  have  forsaken  him.  He  was  attacked  and  defeated 
by  the  foreign  troops  in  the  pay  of  the  Tsar  Boris, 
and  was  obliged  to  flee  to  Putivl.  Captain  Margeret, 
a  Frenchman,  who  fought  against  him,  declared  that 
this  set-back  was  merely  due  to  the  inexperience  of 
the  leader  and  to  the  tactics  of  the  Poles,  who  wasted 
men  by  making  a  concentrated  attack  on  one  Russian 
division  and  leaving  the  rest  of  their  line  exposed. 
This  disaster,  at  any  rate,  did  not  injure  Dmitri's 
cause,  and  one  by  one  the  towns  forsook  Boris  and 
went  over  to  his  rival. 

The  victory  of  the  Imperial  arms  enabled  Boris  to 
breathe  more  freely  for  the  moment,  but  the  defeat 
of  Dmitri  which  had  so  elated  the  Tsar,  had  the 
contrary  effect  on  the  people,  and  it  was  their  evident 
disappointment  which  convinced  him  of  the  fact  that 
the  nation  was  quite  ready  to  throw  him  over  for 
one  whom  they  believed  to  be  the  rightful  heir. 
What  proof  had  he  that  Dmitri  was  really  an 
impostor  ? 

For  three  months  Putivl  served  as  headquarters 
for  Dmitri,  and  this  quiet  little  town  soon  became 
a  veritable  hive  of  activity.  Despite  his  reverse  he 
never  lost  courage — always  behaving  as  master  of 
the  situation,  he  cleverly  turned  to  good  account 
every  circumstance  which  might  help  to  solidify  his 
credit,  and  thus  prepare  the  ground  for  the  future. 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  249 

In  order  to  strengthen  their  belief  in  his  cause,  Dmitri 
played  up  to  the  religious  sentiment  of  the  Russians 
by  sending  to  Kursk  for  its  celebrated  Ikon  of  the 
Virgin,  and  then  publicly  placing  himself  and  his 
cause  under  its  protection.  At  the  same  time,  in  his 
zeal  for  his  new  faith  he  gave  the  Jesuits  who 
accompanied  him  every  facility  for  ministering  to 
the  Poles,  and  for  proselytizing  the  Russians  in  his 
following.  But  he  also  did  his  utmost  to  bring  about 
a  friendly  feeling  between  the  members  of  the  two 
Churches,  and  Orthodox  and  Roman  Catholic  priests 
were  often  to  be  found  dining  together  at  his  table. 

During  this  period  of  suspended  military  operations, 
Dmitri  set  to  work  to  improve  his  mind,  for  coupled 
with  his  desire  for  the  wielding  of  authority  was 
a  sincere  anxiety  for  the  spread  of  education.  He 
told  his  entourage  that  as  soon  as  he  should  become 
Tsar  he  would  immediately  open  schools  "  so  that 
in  my  Empire  people  may  learn  to  read,  and  write. 
I  hope  to  found  a  University  in  Moscow  ;  also  to 
send  Russians  to  foreign  lands  for  study,  and  to 
invite  learned  and  experienced  foreigners  to  settle 
in  my  country,  so  that  they  may  by  their  example 
create  in  my  people  a  desire  for  education  and  a 
sense  of  shame  at  their  own  ignorance."  The  Romish 
priests  who  were  in  his  suite  hoped  to  take  advantage 
of  these  generous  intentions  on  the  part  of  Dmitri, 
who,  for  his  part,  was  convinced  that  the  Jesuits 
might  be  most  useful  to  him  in  this  department. 
On  one  occasion  he  spoke  to  them  in  the  presence 
of  some  Russians  of  his  great  desire  for  knowledge. 
He  told  them  that  he  had  come  to  realize  of  what 


250  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

primary  importance  it  was  for  a  ruler  to  be  versed 
not  only  in  the  science  of  war,  but  in  all  the  other 
branches  of  science  as  well,  and  that  in  order  to  fit 
himself  for  the  responsibilities  which  he  soon  hoped 
to  assume,  he  desired  them  to  become  his  teachers. 
The  priests  started  him  on  Quintilian,  but  soon 
discovered  that  what  he  required  was  instruction  in 
the  rudiments  of  Latin.  The  reading  aloud  of 
Quintilian  proving  too  tedious  for  him,  philosophy 
and  literature  were  taken  up  instead,  and  both 
Russian  and  Polish  nobles  were  called  upon  to  assist 
at  the  lessons  which  lasted  for  one  hour  in  the 
morning  and  one  in  the  evening.  This  instruction 
was  carried  out  for  three  consecutive  days  only  ;  urgent 
business  of  state  prevented  its  continuation. 

At  this  moment  a  second  attempt  on  the  life  of 
Dmitri  was  frustrated.  The  monks  who  had  been 
sent  by  Boris  to  bring  his  dreaded  rival's  adventurous 
career  to  an  end,  were  caught,  but  were  afterwards 
pardoned  by  their  intended  victim.  In  their  posses- 
sion were  found  letters  from  Boris  and  the  Patriarch 
Job  to  the  citizens  of  Putivl  ;  that  of  the  latter 
placing  all  Dmitri's  followers  under  a  ban,  and  that 
of  the  former  promising  them  a  full  pardon  if  they 
would  deliver  up  to  him  the  Tsarevitch  alive  or  dead. 
The  fact  that  in  both  these  letters  he  was  spoken 
of  not  as  Grishka,  the  renegade  monk,  but  as  the 
Tsarevitch,  placed  a  favourable  weapon  in  the  hand 
of  Dmitri,  who  when  he  found  out  that,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Muscovites,  he  was  being  anathematized 
in  Moscow  as  Grishka  Otrepiev,  publicly  produced 
the  individual  in  question.  Poles  and  Russians  were 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  251 

thus  able  to  see  with  their  own  eyes  that,  he  who 
claimed  to  be  the  son  of  Ivan  the  Terrible  was  not 
one  and  the  same  person  as  the  man  against  whom 
such  furious  curses  were  being  hurled  in  Moscow. 
The  presence  of  Grishka  in  Dmitri's  camp,  reassured 
his  partisans  on  this  most  vital  point,  and  before 
long  even  the  Imperial  forces  which  had  been  besieg- 
ing his  Cossacks  in  the  fortress  of  Krom,  took  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  him. 

With  his  increased  army  Dmitri  now  left  Putivl 
and  went  to  Orel,  where  he  was  met  by  the  repre- 
sentatives of  Ryazan.  His  march  from  there  to  Tula 
was  a  veritable  triumphal  procession.  Boris,  getting 
desperate,  sent  an  -  envoy  to  the  Diet  of  Poland  to 
demand  the  "extradition  of  the  God-forsaken  thief, 
the  heretical  ex-monk  .  .  .  and  even  supposing  this 
thief  to  be  in  very  truth  the  Prince  Dmitri  risen 
from  the  dead,  he  would  still  be  the  issue  of  Ivan's 
illegal  seventh  marriage,  and  should  such  an  one 
reign  over  us  ? "  In  reply  to  Boris's  accusations 
regarding  the  breach  of  the  truce  on  the  part  of 
Sigismund,  the  Polish  Chancellor  answered  vaguely 
that  the  King  had  no  power  to  restrain  individuals, 
and  that  those  who  had  followed  Dmitri  were  chiefly 
Cossacks  whose  belligerent  nature  was  beyond  all 
control.  He  also  pointed  out  the  fact  that  as  the 
claimant  was  no  longer  on  Polish  territory  it  was 
impossible  to  hand  him  over. 

In  the  proclamation  which  Dmitri  now  sent  all  over 
Russia,  he  urged  the  people  to  accept  him  as  their 
Sovereign,  assuring  them  that  the  blessing  of  peace 
could  not  fall  upon  the  Russian  lands  until  the  throne 


252  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

was  occupied  by  the  rightful  heir.  He  told  them  his 
whole  story,  and  how  once  when  he  had  come  in  the 
train  of  the  Polish  chancellor  on  a  visit  to  Moscow, 
he  had  had  the  painful  experience  of  seeing  the  traitor 
Boris  seated  upon  his  father's  throne. 

While  this  proclamation  was  in  course  of  circulation, 
the  Tsarevitch  occupied  himself  in  business  of  State. 
He  issued  a  formula  for  the  oath  of  allegiance,  and 
recalled  the  English  Ambassador,  Sir  Thomas  Smith, 
who  was  journeying  to  Archangel  on  his  way  to 
London  with  letters  from  Boris.  This  worthy  Eng- 
lishman had  no  choice  but  to  obey.  He  was  very 
graciously  received  by  Dmitri,  who  entrusted  him 
with  a  letter  to  King  James,  announcing  his  ac- 
cession to  power  and  promising  to  the  English  a 
continuance  of  the  privileges  granted  to  them  by  his 
father. 

In  Moscow  itself  matters  were  rapidly  turning  in 
favour  of  Dmitri,  and  Boris,  like  a  veritable  Job, 
received  message  after  message  of  evil  tidings.  He 
succumbed  to  melancholia,  and  it  happened  that,  one 
day,  he  died  suddenly — two  hours  after  having  risen 
from  the  dinner-table  in  apparently  perfect  health. 
The  rumour  spread  immediately  that  he  had  died  by 
his  own  hand,  and  to  this  day  the  belief  has  survived 
that  Boris  poisoned  himself. 

His  sudden  death  caused  consternation  and  anxiety 
in  the  Kremlin.  The  very  day  after  its  occurrence  the 
people  were  commanded  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  late  Tsar's  widow,  son,  and  daughter.  Feodor 
Borissovitch,  a  youth  of  sixteen,  now  became  Tsar,  and 
astonished  the  boyars  by  his  knowledge  and  eloquence. 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  253 

and  by  his  humility  and  purity  of  soul.  Indeed,  the 
education  so  carefully  bestowed  upon  this  <c  beloved 
son, "  the  training  in  statesmanship  which  he  had 
received  from  his  father,  and  the  part  which  he 
had  taken  in  administering  relief,  would  have  fitted 
Feodor  to  be  an  excellent  ruler.  "  But  Providence 
had  ordained  otherwise — the  tree  of  Godounov  was 
to  be  utterly  uprooted."  Dmitri's  steady  advance 
on  Moscow  rapidly  undermined  the  position  of  the 
young  and  as  yet  uncrowned  Tsar. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  Boris  Godounov  three  of  the 
leading  boyars,  the  two  brothers  Shuiski  and  Prince 
Mstislavski,  came  to  his  rival  to  offer  him  their 
allegiance.  Dmitri  received  them  rather  coolly,  dryly 
remarking  that  they  had  allowed  the  Cossacks  and  the 
common  people  to  take  precedence  in  protestations  of 
loyalty.  These  boyars  were  accompanied  by  Ignatius, 
the  Archbishop  of  Ryazan,  a  Greek,  who  soon  became 
a  favourite  with  Dmitri,  for  his  joyous  temperament, 
toleration  in  religious  matters,  and  love  of  all  things 
Western  were  congenial  to  the  Tsarevitch.  He  was 
appointed  Patriarch  in  the  place  of  the  time-serving  Job. 
This  worthy,  by  this  time,  had  also  resolved  to  throw 
in  his  lot  with  the  new  claimant  to  the  throne,  but 
Dmitri  dubbed  him  "  Judas  "  and  removed  him  from 
office.  At  last  even  Dmitri's  most  powerful  opponent, 
Basmanov,  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Imperial 
troops,  went  over  to  him,  and  before  long  a  warm 
friendship  sprang  up  between  the  young  adventurer 
and  the  experienced  warrior.  They  seemed  in- 
stinctively to  understand  and  appreciate  one  another. 
Dmitri  recognized  in  Basmanov  a  man  more  virile, 


254  SOME   RUSSIAN  HEROES 

capable  and  gifted  than  any  other  he  had  come 
across,  while  the  Voyevoda  perceived  that  Dmitri 
was  able  to  put  a  right  value  on  intellect,  friend- 
ship and  devotion.  From  being  an  antagonist,  he 
became  Dmitri's  most  loyal  servant  and  most  trusted 
adviser. 

"V~  There  were  now  two  courses  open  to  the  Tsar 
Feodor — either  to  abdicate,  as  Dmitri  had  suggested 
in  a  letter,  or  to  make  a  desperate  effort  to  withstand 
his  rival,  but  the  young  Prince  did  neither.  In  the 
inexperience  and  weakness  of  his  youth  he  yielded  to 
his  advisers,  who  urged  him  to  have  the  messengers 
of  Dmitri  caught  and  tortured.  When  the  news  of 
Basmanov's  betrayal  and  of  the  surrender  of  the  army 
reached  the  people  of  Moscow,  there  fell  upon  the 
capital  a  sudden  and  ominous  calm — all  the  more 
suspicious  because  of  the  restlessness  of  the  previous 
days.  The  foreigners  in  the  city  felt  it  to  be  the  calm 
before  the  storm,  and  their  hearts  failed  them.  On 
May  1 3th  it  was  rumoured  that  Dmitri  was  close  to 
the  capital — then  there  was  a  stirring  in  the  atmosphere, 
a  running  to  and  fro  among  the  people  to  buy  bread 
and  salt  to  present  to  the  lawful  heir  as  soon  as  he 
should  enter  the  city.  The  rumour  proved  to  have 
been  unfounded,  but  its  effect  upon  the  citizens  had 
thoroughly  alarmed  the  boyars  and  the  Godounovs. 
The  soldiers  were  ordered  to  place  guns  on  the  walls 
of  the  Kremlin,  but  they  obeyed  very  unwillingly  ;  while 
the  populace  sneered  and  scoffed  at  these  military  pre- 
cautions, which  were  taken  because  it  was  believed  that 
the  famous  Cossack  leader,  Korela,  was  approaching. 
Prudent  citizens  now  began  to  realize  the  necessity  of 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI 

hiding  their  valuables  with  all  speed,  for  they  feared 
the  mob  even  more  than  the  soldiers  of  Dmitri. 

Basmanov's  surrender  had  removed  every  obstacle 
from  Dmitri's  path  to  the  throne — the  remaining 
troops  now  took  the  oath  of  allegiance.  <£  All  the 
armies  of  Russia  have  surrendered  to  thee,"  was  the 
message  brought  to  him  by  the  boyars  who  came  out 
to  meet  him.  Dmitri  disbanded  part  of  his  army,  and 
all  the  soldiers  who  lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Moscow 
were  told  to  go  to  their  homes  but  -to  hold  themselves 
in  readiness,  as  their  services  might  be  required  for  the 
cutting  off  of  supplies  from  the  city,  should  Moscow 
refuse  to  capitulate.  The  rest  he  sent  on  in  advance 
to  Orel.  Acting  on  the  advice  of  the  Poles  he  did  not 
himself  accompany  the  great  Russian  army  which  had 
only  a  few  days  previously  been  righting  against  him, 
but  followed  a  few  days  later:  On  arriving  in  Orel 
the  sound  of  bells  greeted  him,  and  the  citizens 
met  him  with  shouts  of  "  Hail  to  thee,  Tsar  Dmitri 
Ivanovitch  !  " 

The  Poles  warned  Dmitri  not  to  trust  too  much  to 
this  vociferous  loyalty,  and  advised  him  to  keep  a 
strong  guard  around  his  person.  Nevertheless  it  was 
not  Polish  protection  which  ensured  his  safety,  but  the 
genuine  devotion  of  the  people  and  their  sincere  desire 
to  have  a  lawful  Tsar  to  reign  over  them.  A  few 
days  later  he  passed  on  to  Tula,  whence  he  sent 
messengers  to  Moscow  to  inform  the  people  of  his 
approach,  and  gave  orders  that  a  clearance  was  to  be 
made  of  his  enemies.  On  the  ist  of  June  his  envoys 
reached  Moscow,  but  not  daring  as  yet  to  enter  the  city, 
they  made  a  halt  at  Krassnoye  Selo,  to  which  place  the 


256  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

people  flocked  at  once,  clamouring  for  Dmitri  to  come 
and  rule  over  them.     The  envoys  were  escorted  by  the 
x    people  into  Moscow,  where  they  were  surrounded  by  an 
ever  increasing  crowd. 

The  boyars,  coming  out  of  the  Kremlin,  found  it 
impossible  to  allay  the  oncoming  storm — all  they 
could  do  was  to  order  the  envoys  to  be  bound,  but 
instead  of  obeying,  the  people  demanded  to  have 
Dmitri's  proclamation  read  to  them.  This  document 
was  addressed  primarily  to  the  chief  boyars.  It  re- 
minded them  of  their  oath  to  his  father  and  told  of  his 
own  escape  from  death.  To  the  people  it  recalled  to 
mind  the  burdens  laid  upon  them  by  Boris  and  the  fact 
that  he  had  deprived  them  of  their  liberty.  They  were 
adjured  to  acknowledge  Dmitri  as  their  lawful  Tsar, 
otherwise  they  would  have  to  answer  for  it  before  God 
in  the  Day  of  Judgment.  When  the  reading  ceased, 
there  arose  a  tumult  of  acclamations,  cries  and  counter- 
cries,  but  the  last  vestige  of  uncertainty  was  dispelled 
when,  in  response  to  the  cry  :  "  Shuiski,  where  is 
Shuiski  ?  He  knows  the  truth,  he  went  to  Uglitch  to 
investigate  the  death  of  the  Tsarevitch,"  that  boyar 
stepped  forward  and  in  a  loud  voice  addressed  the  mob 
which,  growing  suddenly  silent,  hung  upon  his  words 
in  awful  suspense.  "  Boris  sent  assassins  to  murder 
the  Tsarevitch,  but  the  Tsarevitch  was  saved  and  the 
son  of  a  priest  buried  in  his  stead  !  "  This  was  the 
climax  !  The  pent-up  fury  of  the  mob  burst  forth 
in  yells  and  howls  of  execration.  "  Away  with  the 
Godounovs  !  "  they  shrieked.  "  Let  us  exterminate 
them  !  Why  should  we  show  pity  to  them  ?  Did 
Boris  show  pity  to  the  Tsarevitch  ?  Long  have  we  sat 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  257 

in  darkness  ;  now  is  the  sun  going  to  shine  upon  our 
country  !  " 

Forgotten  were  all  the  kind  deeds  which  Boris  had 
done.  The  same  people  whom  he  had  fed  and  clothed 
and  who  owed  their  very  lives  to  him,  now  burst  into 
the  Kremlin  intent  on  the  destruction  of  his  hapless 
family,  now  with  no  one  to  protect  them,  for  even  the 
guards  had  forsaken  them. 

At  this  moment  of  supreme  danger  the  young  Tsar 
Feodor  behaved  with  all  the  dignity  of  a  sovereign. 
Conscious  that  there  was  no  way  of  escape,  he  preferred 
to  die  on  the  throne  rather  than  make  any  attempt  to 
flee.  So,  when  the  maddened  crowd  rushed  into  the 
throne-room,  they  found  him  at  his  post  with  his 
mother  and  sister  standing  on  either  side  of  him. 
They  dragged  him  out  of  the  palace  into  the  street,  and 
all  three  were  flung  on  to  refuse  carts  and  driven  to  the 
house  where  the  Godounovs  had  formerly  lived,  there 
to  be  detained  and  kept  under  strict  surveillance. 
Then  every  member  of  the  Godounov  family  was 
arrested  and  their  houses  pillaged.  With  them  suffered 
the  German  "  doctors "  who  had  attended  Boris. 
The  crowd  broke  into  the  cellars,  and  many  of  them 
partook  so  freely  of  the  wine  which  they  found  there 
that  they  died  from  excess  of  drinking. 

After  ten  days  of  terrible  suspense  the  end  came. 
The  unhappy  Imperial  family  was  done  to  death — by  the 
boyars,  who  probably  hoped  to  please  Dmitri  by  this  act 
of  violence.  The  widow  of  Boris  was  strangled  with  a 
cord  ;  the  strong  young  Tsar  fought  for  his  life,  but 
was  soon  overcome  and  then  strangled ;  his  lovely  sister 
Xenia,  who  had  fainted  from  shock  and  horror,  was 


258  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

immured  in  a  nunnery  and  there  left  to  wither  slowly 
— like  a  flower  plucked  from  its  parent  stem,  while 
the  virile  shoot  had  been  cut  off  altogether.  The 
murderers  gave  out  that  the  young  Tsar  and  his 
mother  had  committed  suicide.  The  body  of  Boris 
was  removed  from  the  church  where  it  had  been  laid 
to  rest  by  the  side  of  his  predecessors  on  the  throne  of 
Muscovy.  The  remains  of  this  once  powerful  Tsar, 
together  with  those  of  his  wife  and  son,  were  given 
a  suicide's  burial,  without  prayer  or  service. 

On  his  way  to  Moscow,  the  new  Tsar  was  greeted 
on  every  hand  by  protestations  of  loyalty,  and  whenever 
the  occasion  presented  itself  he  graciously  addressed  the 
people  and  made  individual  inquiries  about  them,  with 
promises  of  favours  to  come.  A  halt  was  made  at 
Serpouchov,  where  in  a  large  meadow  a  royal  tent  had 
been  erected  and  all  preparations  made  for  his  arrival. 
Here  he  gave  his  first  dinner-party  to  boyars,  nobles 
and  officials,  and  it  was  here  that  news  reached  him 
of  the  "  suicide "  of  the  widow  and  son  of  Boris 
Godounov.  He  expressed  regret  at  this  tragic  event, 
and  generously  extended  his  pardon  to  all  those  who 
had  been  the  supporters  of  the  late  Tsar  Boris.  At  the 
next  halt  he  was  greeted  by  deputations  of  all  sorts  of 
humble  folk  :  priests,  monks,  merchants  and  peasants 
came  out  in  crowds  to  welcome  him  and  bring  him  their 
offerings  of  "  bread  and  salt."  The  expensive  gifts 
presented  to  him  by  the  richer  citizens  were  graciously 
accepted  by  the  Tsar,  but  none  more  graciously  than  the 
"  bread  and  salt  "  of  the  poor.  "  I  will  be  to  you  not 
a  Tsar,  but  a  father,"  he  said  in  his  kindly  accents  to 
the  people.  "  I  will  love  you,"  he  said,  "  and  will  live 


THE    FALSE    DMITRI  259 

only  to  bring  happiness  into  the  lives  of  my  beloved 
subjects/* 

A  representative  deputation  of  the  boyars  now  came 
forward  laden  with  rich  gifts  of  costly  robes,  silks 
and  velvets  to  greet  their  new  Emperor  and  beg 
of  him  to  take  over  his  lawful  heritage  and  to  come 
and  reign  in  happiness  and  security.  They  assured 
him  that  there  was  no  longer  any  need  for  him  to 
be  downcast,  but  that  he  should  be  merry  and  of 
good  cheer,  for  those  who  had  sought  to  take  his 
life  were  all  dead  and  gone.  The  Livonian  mer- 
cenaries also  came  to  pay  homage  to  him.  They 
implored  his  forgiveness  for  the  violent  attack  made 
upon  him  at  Dobrynitch  and  for  having  defeated 
his  troops  on  that  occasion,  pleading  that  they  had 
only  been  doing  their  duty  as  faithful  soldiers,  and 
promising  to  serve  him  as  loyally  as  they  had  served 
their  late  master.  Dmitri  sent  for  their  leaders,  and 
when  they  were  brought  before  him,  instead  of 
chiding  them  as  they  had  expected,  he  extolled  their 
fighting  qualities  and  praised  them  for  their  bravery 
and  loyalty,  saying  that,  if  only  they  would  serve 
him  as  well  as  they  had  served  his  enemy,  he  would 
place  more  reliance  upon  them  than  even  upon  the 
Muscovites.  These  kind  words  and  the  gracious 
manner  which  accompanied  them,  won  all  their  hearts. 

At  last  the  day  arrived  for  Dmitri  to  make  his 
grand  entry  into  Moscow.  He  rode  on  a  beautiful 
and  gorgeously  caparisoned  charger,  surrounded  by 
the  Poles  in  full  armour  and  by  his  boyars  and 
other  nobles,  all  decked  out  in  their  gayest  and  best, 
each  rivalling  the  other  in  pomp  and  show.  Joy-bells 


260  SOME  RUSSIAN    HEROES 

were  ringing  all  day  long  ;  nature  herself  seemed  to 
be  in  sympathy  with  the  occasion,  for  the  weather 
was  fair  and  the  sky  cloudless.  The  wide  streets 
were  thronged,  and  even  the  roofs  of  houses  and 
churches  swarmed  with  sightseers.  As  Dmitri  passed 
by,  the  people  fell  on  their  knees,  crying  out  :  "  May 
God  bless  thee  !  May  He  who  has  so  miraculously 
preserved  thee,  continue  to  keep  thee  in  all  thy  ways, 
for  thou  art  indeed  the  sun  which  has  arisen  to  shine 
upon  Russia  !  "  With  tender  graciousness  the  Tsar 
made  reply  :  <c  May  God  bless  you  all  :  arise  from 
your  knees,  but  remember  me  in  your  prayers ! " 
Just  as  Dmitri  was  crossing  the  suspension  bridge 
over  the  river  Moscva,  a  dust-storm  suddenly  arose, 
so  violent  that,  for  the  moment,  the  people  were 
blinded.  The  crowd,  to  whom  this  was  a  bad  omen, 
crossed  themselves,  moaning  :  "  God  have  mercy 
on  us!" 

After  the  procession  had  entered  the  palace,  Bogdan 
Byelski  came  out  to  the  place  where  all  the  people 
had  congregated,  adjured  them  to  give  thanks  to 
God  for  restoring  to  them  their  Tsar,  and  admon- 
ished them  to  be  faithful  to  him.  Then,  pulling  out 
the  cross  which  he  wore  round  his  neck,  he  kissed 
it  and  swore  a  solemn  oath  that  he  whom  they  now 
hailed  as  Tsar  was  in  truth  Dmitri.  He  told  them 
how,  as  guardian  of  the  Tsarevitch,  he  had  kept  him 
securely  hidden  all  these  years,  and  bade  them  love 
and  honour  him  now  that  he  had  been  brought  back 
to  them.  To  this  the  whole  assembly  answered  : 
"  God  save  the  Tsar  !  May  God  grant  him  health  and 
happiness  and  bring  confusion  upon  all  his  enemies  !  " 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  261 

The  coronation  ceremony  did  not  take  place 
until  a  few  days  after  the  entry,  as  Dmitri  wished 
the  Tsaritsa-Mother  to  be  present,  and  for  this 
purpose  she  was  fetched  from  her  convent.  The 
Tsar  rode  out  to  meet  her  outside  the  city,  where 
crowds  had  gathered,  eager  to  witness  the  meeting 
between  mother  and  son.  So  much  depended  upon 
this,  for  the  last  vestige  of  doubt  would  be  removed 
if  she  acknowledged  him.  When  Dmitri  came  abreast 
of  the  carriage  containing  the  Imperial  nun,  he 
instantly  jumped  down  from  his  horse,  while  the 
lady  quickly  drew  aside  the  curtain  which  shielded 
her  from  the  public  eye,  and  "  the  two  embraced  and 
wept  upon  each  other's  necks,"  to  the  intense  delight 
of  the  people.  Then  the  carriage  drove  slowly  on, 
the  Tsar  walking  beside  it,  followed  by  a  joyous 
crowd.  To  the  sound  of  joy-bells  the  nun  made 
her  entry  into  the  capital  which  she  had  not  visited 
since  the  death  of  her  terrible  lord.  She  took  up 
her  residence  in  the  Vosnessenski  Convent,  where 
a  suite  of  rooms  had  been  prepared  for  her.  The 
Tsar  visited  her  daily  and  asked  her  blessing  on  all 
his  undertakings. 

Only  a  day  or  two  after  his  entrance  into  Moscow 
an  unpleasant  incident  occurred.  The  Tsar  was  in- 
formed that  Prince  Vassili  Shuiski  was  trying  to 
stir  up  trouble,  that  he  had  spread  reports  among 
the  populace  to  the  effect  that  the  Tsar  had  permitted 
"  unbaptized  ones,"  as  the  Poles  were  considered  to 
be,  to  enter  the  churches  ;  that  he  was  a  tool  of 
the  Polish  King  and  was  set  upon  destroying  the 
true  faith.  Moreover,  the  Prince  revived  the  old 


262  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

tale  that  Dmitri  was  the  renegade  monk  Grishka 
Otrepiev.  Dmitri,  with  a  true  sense  of  dignity, 
declined  himself  to  deal  with  a  matter  concerning 
his  own  person,  and  handed  the  case  over  to  the 
proper  tribunal,  which  promptly  condemned  the 
traitor  to  death.  Four  days  later  the  conspirator 
was  led  out  to  the  place  of  execution,  and  his  head 
was  already  on  the  block  when  a  messenger  arrived 
with  a  pardon  from  the  Tsar.  This  generosity  on 
the  part  of  their  Tsar  delighted  the  people  ;  yet  it 
was  owing  to  this  magnanimous  but  unwise  act  that, 
less  than  a  year  later,  Dmitri  lost  his  crown  and  his 
life.  He  had  merely  spared  the  adder  which  was 
to  sting  him  to  death. 

For  some  unknown  reason  Dmitri  did  not  follow 
tradition  and  precedent  according  {o  which  his  coron- 
ation ought  to  have  taken  place  in  September,  at 
the  beginning  of  the  Russian  year,  but  to  the 
annoyance  of  the  people  he  was  crowned  on  July 
3Oth,  1605.  In  honour  of  the  great  event,  however, 
he  lavishly  bestowed  benefits  upon  the  populace  and 
recalled  all  those  who  had  been  sent  into  banishment 
during  the  reigns  of  Boris  and  Feodor.  Special 
favours  were  showered  upon  the  Romanoffs,  and 
Philaret  was  made  Metropolitan  of  Rostov.  Even 
those  of  the  Godounov  family  who  had  been  banished 
during  the  first  days  of  his  reign,  were  pardoned 
and  allowed  to  return  to  their  homes.  The  young 
Tsar,  in  the  full  glow  of  his  own  happiness,  wanted 
his  subjects  to  be  happy  too,  and  was  therefore 
anxious  to  be  to  them  a  just  and  generous  ruler. 
On  one  occasion  he  was  heard  to  say  that  there  were 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  263 

two  methods  of  ruling — by  harshness  and  severity, 
or  by  consideration  and  pity.  He  told  his  entourage 
that  he  preferred  the  latter  method,  adding,  u  I  have 
sworn  not  to  shed  the  blood  of  my  subjects  and  1 
intend  to  keep  my  oath."  He  was  even  fair  to  the 
memory  of  Boris,  and  actually  reproved  those  who 
spoke  evil  of  one  whom  they  had  themselves  chosen 
to  be  their  ruler.  "  You  bowed  before  him  while  he 
was  alive,  and  now  that  he  is  dead,  you  revile  him  !  " 
In  order  to  ease  the  burdens  of  the  people,  all 
legal  proceedings  were  to  be  free  of  cost  ;  to  prevent 
abuses  in  the  collection  of  taxes,  the  people  were 
told  to  pay  them  direct  to  certain  appointed  centres  ; 
all  officials  received  instructions  not  to  take  bribes, 
and  hereditary  mortgages  were  prohibited.  The  Tsar 
endeavoured  to  alleviate  the  position  of  the  peasantry 
by  regulating  the  relations  between  them  and  the 
land-owners,  who  were  to  lose  all  rights  over  their 
serfs  if  they  did  not  provide  them  with  food  in  time 
of  famine.  It  was  also  decreed  that  no  runaway  serf 
should  be  handed  over  to  his  master  if  five  years 
had  elapsed  since  his  escape.  Every  trade  and  craft 
was  thrown  open  to  all — and  the  restrictions  on 
travelling  abroad  were  abolished.  The  Tsar,  realizing 
the  blessings  of  liberty,  desired  to  extend  its  benefits  : 
"  I  want  there  to  be  no  restrictions,  but  that  all  may 
enjoy  full  liberty  in  my  dominions  which  I  hope 
to  enrich  by  means  of  free  trade — and  may  the  fame 
of  my  Empire  be  spread  abroad."  And  so  it  was 
that,  as  an  English  eye-witness  remarked,  "he  was 
the  only  ruler  in  Europe  at  that  period  to  grant 
such  a  degree  of  liberty  to  his  Empire."  In  fact, 


264  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

he  instituted  free  trade  in  its  fullest  sense,  abolishing 
customs  and  tolls,  with  the  result  that  in  six  months' 
time  trade  was  revolutionized,  and  articles  which  had 
been  hitherto  only  purchasable  by  the  rich  now 
became  accessible  to  all. 

All  those  boyars  whom  Boris  had  forbidden  to 
marry,  in  order  to  extinguish  their  stock,  were  now 
made  free  to  do  as  they  liked.  The  Princes  Msti- 
slavski  and  Shuiski  at  once  took  advantage  of  this 
and  betrothed  themselves  to  relations  of  the  Tsar's 
mother.  It  was  arranged  that  both  weddings  should 
take  place  immediately  after  that  of  the  Tsar,  and 
for  days  nothing  was  spoken  of  but  feasts  and 
marriages,  and  an  atmosphere  of  merriment  and 
rejoicing  pervaded  the  palace. 

It  seems  that  at  times  Dmitri  was  almost  too 
lenient  and  informal  in  his  treatment  of  the  boyars, 
who  had  grown  up  in  such  an  atmosphere  of  abject 
servility  that  at  first  they  hardly  dared  utter  a  word 
in  the  Tsar's  presence  without  being  specially  com- 
manded to  do  so.  In  spite  of  his  free  and  easy 
manner,  the  Tsar  knew  well  enough  how  to  assume 
all  the  dignity  of  majesty  when  occasion  required. 
He  reorganized  the  Boyar  Duma,  calling  it  the  Senate, 
and  every  day  visited  the  council  chamber  where  he 
attended  to  affairs  of  State.  He  listened  attentively 
and  carefully  to  all  that  his  advisers  had  to  say,  but 
not  infrequently,  just  after  they  had  been  laboriously 
laying  before  him  their  reasons  for  arriving  at  a 
certain  conclusion,  he  would  burst  into  a  merry  laugh 
and  solve  the  problem  in  his  own  clear  way,  showing 
so  much  insight  that  they  all  marvelled  at  his  judg- 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  265 

ment.  In  fact,  despite  his  youth — "  he  sat  in  the 
midst  of  his  councillors  like  a  teacher  surrounded 
by  pupils  "—he  often  held  forth  to  them  on  matters 
historical  and  political,  fascinating  them  with  his 
eloquence,  like  the  born  orator  that  he  was.  There 
were  times,  too,  when  he  gently  rallied  his  boyars 
on  their  ignorance  and  lack  of  polish,  and  suggested 
that  they  should  travel  abroad  in  order  that  they 
might  acquire  refinement  and  savoir  faire. 

Dmitri  set  to  work  with  a  will  to  improve  the 
conditions  of  the  people,  and  invited  all,  even  the 
humblest  of  his  subjects,  who  had  any  cause  for 
complaint,  to  come  in  person  to  lay  their  case  before 
him  on  Wednesdays  and  Saturdays.  Thus,  instead 
of  their  having  to  submit  to  the  long,  slow  process 
of  the  law,  he  himself  would  see  to  it  that  their 
wrongs  were  righted.  He  also  allowed  the  people  to 
enjoy  to  the  full  those  popular  pleasures  so  strongly 
objected  to  by  the  puritanical  Sylvester,  the  restrictions 
against  which  had  never  been  removed  ;  for  Dmitri 
was  a  merry  soul  and  loved  to  see  others  enjoying 
themselves.  He  had  no  love  for  monks,  whom  he 
called  lazy-bones  and  hypocrites,  and,  in  order  to 
utilize  their  superfluous  wealth,  caused  an  inquiry  to 
be  made  into  the  properties  of  their  establishments. 
He  informed  the  monastic  authorities  that  they  would 
be  permitted  to  retain  only  what  was  needful  for  their 
own  upkeep,  and  that  the  rest  would  be  devoted  to 
a  crusade  against  the  Turk.  "Let  church  property 
be  expended  on  the  protection  of  the  holy  Faith." 
He  was  always  talking  about  this  proposed  crusade, 
and  frequently  visited  the  munition  works  where 


266  SOME    RUSSIAN    HEROES 

cannons  and  guns  were  being  prepared  for  it,  and 
would  actually  sometimes  lend  a  helping  hand,  in- 
different to  the  pushing  and  jostling  of  the  rough 
workers.  Dmitri  reckoned  on  the  support  of  the 
King  of  France  in  this  enterprise,  the  preparations 
for  which  also  brought  him  into  friendly  political 
relations  with  Pope  Paul  V.  As  regards  religious 
relations  with  the  Papacy,  the  sincere  zeal  exhibited 
by  the  neophyte  while  still  in  Poland  had  cooled 
somewhat  during  his  campaign,  and  seems  to  have 
died  out  altogether  when  he  was  surrounded  by  those 
of  his  own  blood.  He  was  reprimanded  by  the  Pope 
for  surrounding  himself  with  Russian  heretics  instead 
of  with  Poles  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  he  excited 
the  ire  of  the  boyars  by  granting  religious  liberty  to 
the  Roman  Catholics.  "  Why  do  you  despise  all 
other  creeds  ? "  he  asked  his  boyars  after  one  of 
those  discussions  on  religious  matters  which  he  so 
thoroughly  enjoyed.  "  What  have  you  against  the 
Latin  faith — what  against  the  Lutheran  ?  Are  they 
not  just  as  much  Christian  as  the  Greek,  for  do  not 
their  adherents  believe  in  Christ  ? "  When,  to  justify 
their  contention,  the  boyars  referred  him  to  the  seven 
Councils  with  their  binding  decrees,  he  replied  :  "  If 
there  have  already  been  seven  Councils,  why  should 
there  not  be  an  eighth,  or  tenth,  or  even  more  ?  Let 
every  man  believe  what  his  conscience  prompts  him 
to  believe.  It  is  my  wish  that  in  my  dominion  every 
one  should  worship  God  after  his  own  manner."  This 
desire  to  give  equal  privileges  to  all,  did  not,  however, 
lead  Dmitri  to  carry  out  the  promise  made  in  Cracow 
to  the  Jesuits.  On  the  contrary,  he  even  sent  sub- 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  267 

sidles  to  a  Russian  Brotherhood  in  Poland,  the  special 
aim  of  which  was  to  protect  the  Russo-Polish  districts 
against  Roman  propaganda. 

His  domestic  life  differed  greatly  from  that  of 
his  predecessors,  and  he  abolished  various  time- 
honoured  customs.  He  could  not  endure  the  tedious 
conventionality  of  long  repasts,  and  introduced  the 
innovation  of  having  both  vocal  and  instrumental 
music  performed  during  meals.  Neither  did  he  lie 
down  after  dinner  for  the  customary  three  hours' 
siesta,  but  would  go  out  instead  for  a  walk,  or  to 
visit  the  gold  and  silver  smiths  who  had  their  work- 
shops in  the  palace  grounds.  Occasionally  he  would 
slip  out  by  himself  and  some  time  might  pass  before 
his  suite  could  trace  him  ;  whereas  no  former  Tsar 
had  ever  attempted  even  to  walk  from  one  room  to 
another  without  a  grandee  on  either  side  to  support 
him  !  Instead  of  driving  to  church  in  the  customary 
manner,  he  preferred  to  ride  on  the  most  spirited 
horse  he  could  get,  and  would  quickly  swing  himself 
into  the  saddle  without  help.  All  this  aroused  a 
suspicion  in  the  hearts  of  the  boyars  that  he  could 
not  be  of  the  blood  royal.  The  great  boyars  also 
felt  slighted  on  account  of  Dmitri's  decision  to  wed 
a  foreigner,  for  were  their  own  daughters  not  good 
enough  for  the  Tsar  ?  At  the  same  time  the  religious 
susceptibilities  of  the  common  people  were  wounded 
because  the  bride-elect  was  a  "  pagan,"  for  as  such 
they  considered  all  Roman  Catholics.  Dmitri,  more- 
over, was  not  careful  enough  in  the  keeping  of 
fast-days  and  other  rules  of  the  Church,  and  was 
also  very  much  blamed  by  the  Russians  for  not  pre- 


268  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

venting  the  Poles  from  bringing  their  dogs  with  them 
into  church,  and  thus  defiling  the  sacred  edifice.  The 
fact  that  he  differed  in  so  many  ways  from  his  pre- 
decessors, the  independence  of  his  actions  and  his 
thoughtless  disregard  of  national  prejudices,  planted 
in  the  minds  of  many  people  the  seeds  of  suspicion 
that  their  Tsar  was  not  a  Russian  at  all,  but  a  Pole. 
Dmitri's  chief  enemies,  the  three  brothers  Shuiski, 
made  good  use  of  this  attitude  of  the  people  in 
order  to  foment  rebellion,  and  carefully  planned  a 
conspiracy  against  him. 

With  regard  to  traitors,  Dmitri  imagined  that  the 
example  which  he  had  made  of  Prince  Shuiski  would 
act  as  a  warning  and  a  deterrent  to  others,  and  seems 
therefore  to  have  been  troubled  by  no  sense  of  fear 
or  insecurity.  This  state  of  mind  was  encouraged 
by  certain  treacherous  boyars  who  feigned  the  most 
devoted  loyalty  in  order  to  lull  him  into  still  greater 
carelessness.  For  a  time,  therefore,  the  Tsar  went 
on  in  a  trustful,  unsuspecting  way,  but  at  last  he 
began  to  realize  that  there  was  treason  afoot.  This 
led  him  to  form  in  addition  to  the  Streltsi  a  special 
bodyguard  consisting  of  foreign  lancers  and  halbardiers, 
in  command  of  which  he  placed  the  valiant  Captain 
Margeret,  who  had  gone  over  to  him  with  the  Imperial 
troops.  This  famous  Frenchman  thoroughly  believed 
in  the  genuineness  of  the  Tsar's  claim  to  the  throne, 
and  continued  to  uphold  it  after  Dmitri's  death  in  the 
report  of  his  career  which  he  drew  up  for  King 
Henry  IV  of  France. 

These  mercenaries  were  well  paid  by  Dmitri  and  soon 
grew  rich  and  were  proud,  but  they  served  him  faith- 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  269 

fully  and  kept  watch  over  him  night  and  day.  The 
fact,  however,  that  he  had  so  many  foreigners  in 
his  bodyguard  was  another  source  of  annoyance  to  the 
Muscovites.  a  Evidently  the  Tsar  neither  loves  nor 
trusts  us,"  they  said,  "  and  if  it  is  like  that  now,  what 
will  it  be  when  the  bride  arrives  from  Poland  with  all  her 
Polish  attendants  ?  The  place  will  then  be  swarming  with 
aliens  !  "  Unfortunately,  Dmitri  did  not  realize  the 
force  of  this  spirit  of  antagonism  to  the  foreigner,  nor 
how  easily  his  enemies  might  turn  it  to  account  for 
their  own  ends.  Owing  to  this  and  to  the  other 
causes  for  suspicion  mentioned  above,  it  was  in  well- 
prepared  soil  that  Vassili  Shuiski  sowed  the  seeds  of 
treachery. 

Towards  the  end  of  April  1606,  a  great  rising  of  the 
Cossacks  took  place  in  the  region  between  Kazan  and 
Astrakhan.  They  ravaged  the  country  along  the  banks 
of  the  Volga,  and  spread  the  rumour  that  they  had  with 
them  a  young  prince  who  called  himself  the  Tsar  Peter 
and  claimed  to  be  a  son  of  Feodor  Ivanovitch  by  his 
wife  Irina.  It  was  proclaimed  that  it  was  he  who  had 
been  born  in  1588  but  that  he  had  been  kidnapped, 
and  a  little  girl — the  one  who  had  died  in  her  third  year 
—substituted  for  him.  The  fact  was  that  the  Cossacks 
were  merely  using  this  as  a  pretext  for  robbing 
and  pillaging,  as  they  were  bitterly  disappointed  with 
Dmitri  for  not  giving  them  all  the  reward  which  they 
had  demanded  for  their  support  of  his  cause.  Captain 
Margeret  relates  that,  within  a  short  time,  these  lawless 
people  had  captured  three  Volga  fortresses  with  the 
ammunition  stored  therein  ;  after  which  the  bulk  of 
them  scattered  in  different  directions.  The  remainder 


270  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

stayed  behind  in  one  of  the  forts  for  the  purpose  of 
attacking  and  robbing  trade  caravans  en  route  for 
Astrakhan.  When  news  of  this  rising  reached  Dmitri, 
he  seems  to  have  been  impressed  with  the  pretensions 
of  the  new  Claimant,  to  whom  he  sent  a  letter  to  the 
effect  that,  if  he  were  indeed  the  son  of  the  Tsar 
Feodor,  he  would  be  heartily  welcome  to  come  to 
Moscow,  and  that  orders  would  be  given  that  all 
honour  should  be  accorded  to  him  on  his  way  thither. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  he  proved  to  be  an  impostor, 
the  sooner  he  quitted  the  confines  of  Russia  the 
better. 

The  answer  to  this  letter  was  never  received  by 
Dmitri,  as  by  the  time  it  had  reached  Moscow,  his  own 
adventurous  career  had  come  to  a  sudden  end,  for 
dissatisfaction  had  been  spreading  rapidly ;  it  is 
even  reported  that  one  of  the  Secretaries  of  the  Duma 
boldly  said  to  Dmitri's  face  :  "  No  invincible  Caesar, 
no  son  of  a  Tsar,  but  Grishka  Otrepiev  art  thou — a 
renegade  monk,  a  slave  of  sin  and  a  heretic." 

Dmitri  was  very  fond  of  sports  of  all  kinds,  and  is  said 
"  to  haue  beene  a  resolute  man  of  his  hands,  to  haue 
delighted  in  righting  with  the  Beare,  actiue  and  strong." 
During  the  week  before  Lent,  he  organized  an  expedition 
to  a  village  six  miles  from  the  capital  where  a  snow 
fortress  had  been  erected  by  his  order.  His  whole 
suite — princes  and  boyars — accompanied  him  and  there 
divided  into  attacking  and  defending  forces,  the  Russians 
holding  the  fortress  against  Dmitri  and  his  Livonian 
corps  supported  by  some  companies  of  Polish  cavalry. 
The  ammunition  was  to  consist  of  snowballs  only,  but 
unfortunately  the  Livonians  did  not  play  fair,  weighting 
their  snowballs  with  stones  which  resulted  in  many  a 


COMING     — A    MOSCOW   CROWD. 


From  the  painting  by  Ryaboushkin,  in  the  Emperor  Alexander  III  Museum, 
Petrograd. 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  271 

black  eye  for  the  besieged.  The  Tsar  personally  led  the 
attack,  took  the  fortress  and,  with  his  own  hand,  made 
the  Voyevoda  prisoner,  saying  as  he  bound  him  :  u  God 
grant  that  the  day  may  come  when  I  shall  attack  and 
conquer  the  Tsar  of  the  Crimea  in  Asov  and  do  to  him 
as  I  am  now  doing  to  thee  !  "  After  a  respite,  during 
which  the  opposing  armies  partook  of  a  meal  together 
in  friendly  intercourse,  Dmitri  proposed  a  repetition  of 
the  battle,  but  one  of  the  boyars  warned  him  that  he 
would  incur  great  danger  if  this  were  carried  out, 
because  the  Russians  were  in  a  very  bad  humour  on 
account  of  the  loaded  snowballs  which  had  injured  so 
many  of  them.  The  boyar  also  reminded  Dmitri  that 
there  were  sure  to  be  some  of  his  secret  foes  amongst 
them,  and  that  whereas  every  Russian  carried  a  long 
sharp  knife  in  his  belt,  he  and  his  party  were  unarmed. 
Dmitri  wisely  took  heed  to  this  advice  and  gave  orders 
for  the  return  home  of  the  whole  cavalcade.  He  soon 
discovered  that  his  friend's  suspicions  and  apprehensions 
had  not  been  unfounded.  It  came  to  his  knowledge 
that,  had  the  second  assault  on  the  fortress  been 
attempted,  he  and  his  men  would  all  have  been 
murdered,  and  that  the  traitors  had  intended  to  justify 
their  act  by  pretending  that  the  Tsar  had  meditated 
serving  them  in  the  same  way. 

Even  the  trustful  Dmitri  now  began  to  apprehend 
danger.  Captain  Gilbert,  one  of  the  Scotchmen  of  his 
bodyguard,  gives  an  interesting  report  of  the  suspicions 
aroused  in  the  mind  of  the  Tsar.  He  relates  that  : 
"  Lying  on  his  bed  not  long  before  his  death  (as  hee 
thought,  awake)  an  aged  man  came  to  the  Tsar, 
which  sight  caused  him  to  arise  and  come  to  me, 


272  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

and  his  guard  that  watched,  but  none  of  them  had 
scene  any  thing.  Hereupon  he  returned  to  his  Bed, 
but  within  an  houre  after  he  againe  troubled  with  like 
apparition  called,  and  sent  for  Buchinskie  :  telling  him 
that  he  had  now  twice  scene  an  aged  man,  who  at  the 
second  comming  told  him,  that  though  for  his  owne 
person  he  was  a  good  Prince,  yet  the  injustice  and 
oppressions  of  his  inferiour  Ministers  must  bee 
punished,  and  his  Empire  should  bee  taken  from  him. 
In  this  perplexitie  his  Secretarie  who  was  a  learned  and 
religious  Protestant,  gaue  him  good  and  holy  counsell, 
saying  till  true  Religion  were  there  planted,  his  Officers 
would  bee  lewd,  the  people  oppressed,  and  God  Al- 
mightie  offended,  who  perhaps  by  that  Dreame  or 
Vision  had  admonished  him  of  his  dutie.  The 
emperour  seemed  much  moued,  and  to  intend  that 
good  which  that  Countrey  was  not  so  happy  to  receiue." 
It  was  about  this  time  that  the  Tsar  received 
intelligence  that  his  bride-elect  was  preparing  to  start 
on  her  journey  to  Russia.  Thereupon  he  sent  her 
1 5,000  roubles  for  travelling  expenses,  and  wrote  to  the 
boyars  at  Smolensk  to  receive  their  future  Tsaritsa  with 
all  the  respect  due  to  her.  They  were  to  treat  her  as 
an  honoured  guest,  as  though  she  were  himself  in 
person.  By  his  order  the  roads  and  bridges  between 
the  frontier  and  Smolensk  and  thence  to  Moscow  were 
put  into  thorough  repair,  and  all  the  streets  of  the 
towns  through  which  she  had  to  pass  were  well 
cleansed.  On  its  arrival  outside  Moscow,  her  cavalcade 
halted  in  a  meadow  where  a  gorgeous  tent  had  been 
put  up  for  her  use,  and  there  Easter  was  spent.  It  is 
reported  that  the  ardent  lover  came  secretly  to  the 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  273 

encampment  to  visit  his  betrothed,  stayed  two  days 
and  then  returned  to  superintend  in  person  the  prepara- 
tions for  her  state  entrance  into  Moscow,  which  was  to 
be  carried  out  on  a  scale  of  magnificence  hitherto 
undreamt  of. 

The  event  took  place  on  May  ist,  when  an  army 
of  10,000  men — princes,  boyars,  Livonians,  Poles, 
Cossacks,  Tatars  and  Streltsi,  all  dressed  in  brilliant 
attire,  rode  out  to  meet  Marina  Mniszek.  The  Tsar 
himself,  disguised,  rode  up  and  down  the  lines,  giving 
orders  as  to  the  disposition  of  the  troops.  He  had 
already  sent  to  his  bride,  by  way  of  welcome,  a  present 
of  twelve  richly  caparisoned  riding  horses  with  golden 
bridles,  silver-gilt  stirrups,  and  saddles  covered  with 
leopard-skins,  each  horse  being  led  by  a  stately 
Muscovite.  He  also  sent  her  a  grand  coach  drawn  by 
white  horses  and  panelled  in  red  velvet,  with  cushions 
embroidered  in  gold  and  pearls.  Into  this  costly 
vehicle  the  bride  was  lifted  by  the  Tsar's  representative, 
Prince  Mstislavski,  and  the  procession  then  started  for 
the  capital.  An  eye-witness,  a  Dutch  merchant,  thus 
describes  the  entry — 

"The  Princesse  shewed  her  selfe  benigne  and 
gratious,  in  saluting  not  onlie,  all  the  Ladies  of  the 
Court,  but  also,  in  discoursing  verie  affably  with  diuers 
citizens'  wives  :  and  thus  they  advanced  towardes  the 
Castle,  where  there  was  an  high  scaffold  set  up  hard 
by  the  gate,  upon  the  which,  a  number  of  trumpets 
stoode,  and  kettle  drums,  making  a  wonderful  sound, 
with  the  loud  report  of  their  instruments." 

The  populace  of  Moscow  looked  on  this  pageant 
with  amazement,  and  many  viewed  it  with  deep  appre- 


274  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

hension,  for  it  was  the  first  time  they  had  seen  armed 
men  at  a  wedding,  and  they  were  disturbed  at  the 
sight  of  so  great  a  number  of  foreigners  riding  in 
a  body  into  their  town.  This  feeling  increased  when, 
suddenly,  just  as  the  bride  was  entering  the  city,  a 
great  gust  of  wind  swept  through  the  streets,  driving 
a  cloud  of  dust  before  it — a  repetition  of  what  had 
happened  at  the  triumphal  entry  of  Dmitri.  Surely 
this  was  an  evil  omen  !  Many  a  heart  quaked  at  the 
thought  of  impending  disaster  and  ruin. 

According  to  the  Dutchman,  "The  said  Ladie 
Princesse  was  conducted  to  the  Cloyser,  where  the 
Ladies,  and  Damoselles  were  resident,  being  the 
widdowes,  and  daughters  of  great  Lordes,  and  Boyars 
of  the  countrie  :  and  there  was  also  the  old  Empresse, 
where  she  was  to  stay,  and  spend  the  time,  till  the 
day  of  Nuptiall  celebration."  The  pious  nuns  of  the 
Vosnessenski  Convent  were  shocked  at  the  unseemly 
gaiety  of  the  Polish  ladies,  and  were  horrified  when 
the  Tsar  sent  musicians  to  relieve  the  dullness  of 
the  place.  Their  feelings  were  also  hurt  by  the 
refusal  of  Marina  and  her  suite  to  eat  Russian  dishes, 
thus  obliging  Dmitri  to  send  a  Polish  cook  to  the 
convent  kitchen.  The  same  writer  adds  :  "The 
Russians  enformed  me  that  these  ladies  were  there 
taught,  and  instructed  in  the  articles  of  the  faith, 
and  the  Russian  ceremonies,  and  that  the  same  lady 
Princesse  was  constrayned  to  doe  the  like,  and  that 
after  this,  she  must  be  baptised  after  the  Russian 
manner  :  but  I  rather  suppose,  seeing  Demetrius 
frequented  thither  so  daylie,  and  was  there  so  privately 
that  he  taught  her  an  other  Catechisme  :  and  so  as 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  275 

the  entrie  into  this  Monastery,  was  made  on  a 
Friday,  so  was  her  comming  forth,  incontinently  on 
the  Wednesday  following."  The  Sunday  after  the 
bride's  arrival,  the  young  Tsar  gave  a  great  dinner 
to  all  Marina's  relations  in  the  new  residence  which 
had  been  built  expressly  for  him  ;  and  also  received 
the  Polish  Ambassador,  who  "  brought  with  him, 
very  goodly  presents,  the  which  he  presented,  the 
day  after  his  arrivall  :  which  were  vessels  of  silver, 
guilt,  with  a  great  number  of  cuppes,  and  goblets, 
and  two  goodly  horses,  with  a  faire  dogge  :  having 
delivered  his  letters  of  credence  to  the  Emperour's 
owne  hands,  who  receiving  the  letter,  and  perceiving, 
that  upon  the  title  of  direction,  there  was  not 
mentioned  the  title  of  Emperour,  and  Monarch  of 
Russia,  he  presently  reiected  the  said  letter,  and 
delivered  it  himselfe  to  the  same  Ambassadour  : 
whereupon  the  Ambassadour  replying,  answered,  that 
his  grandfathers,  and  predecessors,  neuer  pretended, 
nor  usurped  any  such  title,  and  that  therefore,  none 
was  enjoy ned,  to  entitle  him  otherwise,  then  by  the 
name  of  great  Duke  ;  but  if  he  did  affect  any  higher 
stile  then  his  progenitors,  that  then  he  should  en- 
deavour to  conquer  the  Empires  of  great  Tartaria, 
or  attempt  to  subdue  under  himselfe,  the  scepter  of 
the  Turkish  Emperour,  and  then  he  would  be  acknow- 
ledged of  all  the  world,  for  an  Emperour,  and 
Monarch.  At  which,  so  sharpe,  and  stinging  an 
answere,  the  Vayvod,  Father  to  the  spouse,  was 
mightilie  astonished,  and  Prince  Demetrius  so  enraged, 
that  hee  would  have  cast  his  scepter  at  the  Ambas- 
sadour s  head." 


276  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

On  the  Monday,  the  Tsar  visited  his  bride, 
bringing  with  him  still  more  costly  presents  and  a 
large  sum  of  money  in  gold  ducats,  but  Marina,  not 
knowing  what  to  do  with  all  these  gold  pieces, 
distributed  them  amongst  her  companions.  To  the 
surprise  of  everybody,  the  Tsar  decided  to  have  his 
bride  crowned  before  the  marriage,  which  would 
make  her  his  equal — a  Tsaritsa  in  her  own  right — 
a  generous  act  which  may  have  been  prompted  by 
his  great  passion  for  Marina,  or  what  is  more  likely, 
may  have  been  suggested  to  him  by  her  ambitious 
father. 

Life  during  the  next  few  days  was  one  continual 
pageant.  Dmitri  made  the  most  of  the  opportunity 
to  dazzle  the  eyes  of  the  foreigners  with  blazing 
jewels  and  magnificent  garments  and  articles  from 
the  Imperial  treasury  and  store-houses.  Never  be- 
fore had  they  seen  such  a  lavish  display,  and  it  is 
little  wonder  that  eye-witnesses  of  every  nationality 
have  described  the  events.  In  order  to  avoid  her 
being  crushed  and  crowded  by  sightseers,  the  trans- 
ference of  the  bride  from  the  convent  to  the  rooms 
prepared  for  her  in  the  palace  was  accomplished  at 
night  by  torchlight.  "  Shee  was  conducted  into  the 
Castle,  into  lodgings  verie  richly  hung,  and  the 
gallerie  (through  which  she  was  to  passe)  was  all 
covered  with  red,  crimson  cloth,  and  the  hangings 
of  the  said  chambers,  were  for  the  most  part,  of 
cloth  of  gold." 

The  day  of  Marina's  coronation  and  marriage  was 
kept  as  a  general  holiday,  and  large  numbers  of 
holiday-makers  crowded  into  the  Kremlin.  Unfortu- 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  277 

nately  the  day  chosen  for  the  ceremonials  was  one 
disallowed  by  the  Church  for  nuptials,  and  it  is 
strange  that  the  Patriarch  should  have  given  his 
sanction  to  such  a  violation  of  Russian  Church  custom  ; 
but  probably  he,  being  a  Greek,  had  no  such  pre- 
judices with  regard  to  the  matter.  It  may  also  be 
that  those  who  were  plotting  the  downfall  of  Dmitri 
treacherously  urged  him  on  to  make  this  and  other 
faux  'pas  in  order  to  discredit  him  in  the  eyes  of 
the  people.  Although  he  had  chosen  the  wrong  day, 
Dmitri  punctiliously  adhered  to  traditional  custom 
in  the  matter  of  the  marriage  ceremony,  and  much  to 
the  annoyance  of  Marina,  she  was  obliged  to  don  the 
traditional  national  dress  for  royal  weddings.  This 
robe  was  made  of  cerise  coloured  velvet,  profusely 
embroidered  with  jewels.  On  her  feet  she  wore 
high-heeled  boots  of  soft  leather  which  were  studded 
with  gems.  A  ribbon  of  gold,  thickly  encrusted  with 
jewels,  was  interwoven  into  her  hair,  Polish  fashion, 
in  such  a  way  as  to  form  a  coronet.  To  quote  further 
from  the  same  Dutch  writer — 

"  The  espousalles  were  solemnized  by  the  Patriarch 
in  our  Ladies  Church,  where  shee  was  also  crowned  : 
The  Temple  round  about,  was  hung  with  red  cloth, 
with  embroyderie  of  gold  and  silk,  and  the  pavement 
was  covered  with  the  like. 

"  The  Crowne,  Sceptre,  Globe  and  Sword,  were  all 
carried  before  the  Emperour  of  Russia,  and  the  Crowne, 
which  was  to  be  put  on  the  Empresses  head,  was 
carried  upon  a  cushen  of  red  velvet  :  these  solemnities 
continuing  about  the  space  of  two  houres,  and  thus 
they  both  went  out  of  the  church  togither,  leading  one 


278  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

another  by  the  hand,  with  crownes  on  their  heads  : 
on  the  right  hand,  the  Emperour  was  led  by  the 
Duke  Fender  Ivanovitz  Alsholsta  :  and  the  Empresse 
on  the  left,  by  the  Duchesse,  wife  to  the  said  Lord. 

"  The  trumpets,  kettle  drummes,  and  all  other 
musical  instruments,  made  a  great  noise,  and  all  the 
Court,  was  in  festivitie,  and  joy.  But  in  the  ending, 
there  was  no  great  preparation,  for  it  seemes,  that 
the  greatest  triumphing,  was  betwixt  the  new  married 
couple.  Mony  also  was  throwne  abroad,  when  the 
coronation  was  solemnized,  and  Friday,  which  was  the 
9.  of  May,  that  is  to  say,  the  day  after  the  coronation, 
and  consummation  of  the  marriage,  the  presents  of  the 
Ambassadours,  and  others  of  the  court,  should  have 
been  delivered,  but  it  seemes,  that  this  good  Demetrius, 
who  it  may  be  (as  having  beene  heretofore  a  Monke) 
was  too  devout  upon  his  Breviarie,  he  said  too  long 
a  Masse  with  his  new  mistris,  in  whose  companie,  he 
was  so  ravished,  that  he  forgot  to  rise  soone  enough 
in  the  morning,  and  so  shewing  himselfe  in  publike 
very  late,  the  same  evening  also  there  was  no  great 
banqueting  at  the  Court. 

"  But  on  Satterday,  which  was  a  very  solemne 
festivall  day,  so  as  the  Russians  kept  it  with  greater 
reverence  then  their  Easter  :  it  vexed  the  Russians 
wonderfully,  to  see  this  day  prophaned  by  their  Princes 
nuptialles,  but  notwithstanding  this,  the  Emperour, 
with  the  Empresse,  having  their  crownes  upon  their 
heads,  were  set  in  a  great  hall,  where  first  the  Patriarke, 
and  then  the  Boyars,  and  in  the  end,  Merchants 
strangers,  and  other  men  of  qualitie,  entered  in,  kissing 
the  new  Empresses  hand,  and  everie  one  offering  of 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  279 

their  presents  :  amongst  whome,  was  also  your  brother, 
and  I,  but  I  would  to  God  we  had  kept  our  money 
in  our  purses,  although  we  did  it  in  hope,  to  have 
obtayned  some  privieledges  ;  this  we  did  out  of  a 
good  intention,  according  as  we  had  before  received 
many  faire  promises  from  my  Lord  Vayvod  :  but  the 
disastrous  end  of  all  this  festivitie,  did  in  like  manner 
frustrate  us  of  our  designes. 

"  The  Sunday  following,  there  was  yet  farre  greater 
feasting,  and  the  King  of  Poloniaes  Ambassadour, 
made  it  knowne  before,  that  he  would  not  sit  downe 
at  the  table,  except  they  did  him  the  same  honour, 
which  was  afforded  the  Ambassadour  of  Russia,  in  the 
Royal  Court  of  Cracovia,  where  he  was  set  downe  at 
the  Kings  table,  and  so  he  requested,  he  might  likewise 
have  his  place  at  the  Imperiall  table,  to  which  the 
Emperour  would  not  in  the  beginning  consent,  but  so 
he  let  him  understand,  that  he  should  take  his  place, 
above  all  the  Boyars,  and  great  Lordes  of  the  countrie  : 
the  which  the  said  Polonian  Ambassadour  flatlie  re- 
fused, so  that  at  last,  the  Emperour  permitted  him.  to 
sit  at  his  table,  and  so  he  came  thither  with  his 
presents,  which  were  far  richer,  than  any  of  the  former, 
and  the  banquet  continued  till  it  was  late  in  the 
evening.  • 

"In  the  retiring  of  themselues,  a  Polonian  strucke  a 
Russian  such  a  blowe,  that  being  sore  wounded,  he 
cryed  aloud  murder.  But  the  uproare  was  presently 
pacified,  and  the  two  daies  following,  there  was  nothing 
but  sounding  of  trumpets,  and  kettle-drummes,  after 
the  Imperiall  manner.  It  was  supposed  also,  that  the 
guard  of  the  Boyares  should  have  shot  off  their  Har- 


280  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

quebuzes,  and  that  the  Artillerie  and  chambers  laden 
with  balles  of  artificiall  fire,  should  have  been  dis- 
charged, in  signe  of  ioy,  the  cannon  was  now  drawne 
out  of  the  Citie,  and  a  fortresse  of  wood  after  the 
moderne  fashion  was  built  for  an  assault  :  but  all  this 
(as  an  evill  presagement)  was  giuen  over. 

"  On  Wednesday,  a  day  whereon  Russians  eate  no 
flesh,  all  was  verie  silent,  and  still,  as  also  the 
Thursday  following,  and  by  reason  the  Emperor  had 
a  little  inckling  of  what  was  a  brewing  amongst  the 
Russians,  having  alwaies  his  eare,  and  eye  hereupon, 
he  advised  all  the  Polonians  to  stand  upon  their  guard, 
commanding  all  those  of  his  owne  guard,  that  they 
should  repaire  to  the  Castle,  with  their  harquebuzes 
charged,  bullet  in  mouth,  the  match  light,  and  in  truth, 
there  was  to  the  number  of  15,000  Muscovites, 
which  were  now  in  readiness,  to  effect  their  enterprise  : 
but  by  reason  that  the  Polonians  kept  good  watch, 
and  shot  off  many  Harquebazadors  in  hearing,  making 
a  great  rutte  with  their  kettle  drummes,  the  Russians 
durst  attempt  nothing  :  that  present  might,  which 
might  have  served  the  other  well,  for  an  admonition, 
and  fore-sight  :  as  also  they  might  clearely  perceive, 
that  the  joy  of  this  manage  sodainely  ceased,  and  that 
all  the  time  passed  away,  in  an  uncouth  and  dead 
silence,  and  the  Friday  after,  there  was  none  that 
would  sell  them  any  powder,  or  other  warlike  munition. 
"  In  the  meane  while,  the  young  Empresse  passed 
the  time  merrily  amongst  her  damoselles,  in  measures, 
daunces  and  masking,  intending  to  have  come  the 
Sonday  following,  in  a  gallant  mummerie  to  find  out 
the  Emperour,  when  he  should  be  at  a  banquet,  with 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  281 

the  Great  Lords,  and  to  present  them  yet  further, 
with  some  new  recreations,  but  all  this  was  interrupted  : 
for  the  Russians  now  plotted,  to  put  in  execution 
a  designe,  which  long  time  before  they  had  resolved 
upon  :  which  was,  the  same  Satterday,  being  the  17.  of 
May,  according  to  the  old  stile,  about  seaven  by  our 
clockes  in  the  morning.  For  this  conspiracie  to  kill 
the  Emperour,  was  proiected  before  the  Vayvods 
comming  into  the  countrie,  with  his  daughter  they 
bethinking  themselves  long  before,  to  entrap  all  the 
Polonians,  which  should  then  be  there  present,  with 
their  armes,  and  also  because  by  the  same  meane,  they 
would  recover  at  that  instant,  all  the  treasure  which 
had  bin  sent  out  of  the  countrie,  to  the  said  Vayvod, 
his  daughter,  and  thus  this  tragedie  began. 

"  On  the  same  day,  most  terribly,  the  Boyars,  with 
their  servants  being  mounted  on  horse  backe,  with 
harnesse,  and  coates  of  male  on  their  backes,  having 
lances  in  their  handes,  iavelines,  and  darts,  bowes  and 
arrowes,  cymitars  and  all  other  kind  of  armes,  the 
common  people  running  up  and  downe,  with  their 
steele  mases,  stockes  and  cymitars  in  their  hands  the 
number  of  them  being  so  great,  as  it  seemed,  that  the 
Myrmidons  swarmed  as  thicke  as  haile  stones,  all  the 
world  ranne  hastily  towards  the  Castle,  crying  no  other 
thing,  along  the  streets  as  they  went,  but,  to  the 
murder,  to  the  fire,  kill,  kill,  making  one  another 
beleeve,  that  the  Polonians  massacred  the  Boyars  within 
the  Castle,  though  verie  few  of  them  were  lodged 
within  the  same  :  but  this  was  done  to  no  other  end, 
but  the  more  to  fleth  the  rakehell  vulger,  against  the 
poore  Polonians. 


282  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

"  This  uproare  was  so  sodaine,  that  divers  Russians, 
apparelled  after  the  Polonian  fashion,  were  slayne 
amiddist  the  presse,  and  incontinently,  they  belayed 
the  Innes,  and  lodgings  of  all  the  Polonian  Gentlemen, 
so  as  no  bodie  could  either  come  forth,  or  assist  one 
another,  with  their  armes.  They  ranne  in  thousands 
towardes  the  Castle,  where  no  resistance  was  made 
against  them,  by  the  Princes  Archers,  who  were  all 
Russians,  and  held  correspondencie  with  the  rest.  And 
evill  fortune  went  so  hard  on  this  miserable  Prince's 
side,  that  where  as  he  was  wont  to  have  every  day,  an 
100  halberdiers,  in  a  corps  de  guard,  there  was  not 
now  30,  no  not  so  much  as  one  Captaine  to  be  scene, 
and  yet  if  they  had  beene  there  all  togither,  and 
performed  their  best,  in  defending  of  themselves,  it 
had  beene  nothing  against  so  great  a  multitude  of 
people,  but  the  slaughter,  and  butchery  had  beene  so 
much  the  greater,  besides  the  evident  danger,  whereto 
wee  Dutch  Merchants,  and  of  all  other  strange  nations 
should  have  runne  into. 

"  The  Russians  therefore,  cryed  out  to  them  of  the 
guard,  (so  few  of  them  as  there  were)  that  they 
should  lay  aside  their  armes,  to  come  and  ioyne 
with  them,  and  take  their  part,  and  then  they 
should  have  no  hurt  at  all,  the  which  they  presently 
did,  and  willingly  yeelded  themselues,  with  their 
armes  laid  aside. 

"The  Russians  then  ranne  up  towardes  the  great 
Hall,  with  great  presse,  the  above  named  Peter 
Basmaneuf  going  before  them  who  was  a  very  faithfull 
friend  of  the  Emperours,  and  who,  heretofore  had  a 
servant,  who  many  times  spake  very  evillie  of  the 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  283 

Emperour,  and  defamed  him,  amongst  the  common 
people  ;  the  same  was  he,  who  sodainely  stroke  his 
old  master,  in  such  a  sort,  that  he  died. 

"The  great  troupe  then  ranne  with  like  haste, 
throw  the  chambers,  and  even  to  the  Emperours 
owne  lodging,  who  hearing  this  tumult,  leapt  out 
of  his  bed,  putting  on  his  night  gowne,  and 
demaunding  what  the  matter  was  :  whereupon  one 
of  his  household  Russes  answered,  that  he  knew 
nothing,  and  that  it  might  be  they  cryed  out  for 
some  fire.  *  No,  villainous  traytor  as  thou  art,' 
said  the  Emperour  c  it  is  not  for  fire  they  thus  crie 
out,  but  there  must  needes  be  some  other  matter 
in  it,  for  all  the  belles,  as  well  as  the  Cittie,  as  of 
the  Castle  doe  ring  alarum.  Ah  ! '  saide  he  further 
c  doe  you  think  you  have  to  do  with  an  other 
Boritz  ? '  and  so  hee  made  himselfe  ready,  tucking 
up  his  shirt  sleeves  very  high,  and  calling  for  his 
two  edged  Curtleare,  which  they  were  wont  to 
carry  before  him,  to  lay  about  him,  within  on  all 
sides,  but  he  who  had  it  in  keeping,  could  not 
find  it  :  and  when  he  sawe  the  enemies  troupe  to 
presse  forward,  to  flie  upon  him,  hee  requested 
his  Halberdiers  which  were  before  the  gate,  that 
they  would  not  thus  yeelde  him  into  the  Boyars 
handes,  shutting  the  doore  himselfe,  and  so  re- 
tiring within  some  other  more  inward  chambers, 
even  to  the  stuffe  where  he  was  wont  to  bathe 
himselfe,  whither  hee  was  presently  pursued  by  his 
enemies,  so  that  hee  leaped  downe  out  of  a  window, 
falling  a  marvellous  height,  uppon  the  pavement  :  for 
his  lodging  was  in  the  toppe  of  the  Castle,  so  as  it  was 


284  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

a  great  wonder,  that  he  broke  not  his  armes,  and  legs, 
or  that  he  was  not  crushed  all  in  pieces. 

"  One  of  his  Halberdiers,  called  Farstenberg,  came 
presently  downe  the  staires,  and  found  him  yet  alive, 
but  all  his  breast  was  bruised,  so  as  he  did  nothing,  but 
vomite  blood,  and  his  head  was  also  all  to  be  crushed 
and  bloudy,  The  saide  Halberdier,  with  others  helpe, 
carried  him  up  againe  into  his  chamber,  where  he  was 
a  little  refreshed  with  waters  and  other  comfortative 
drugges,  while  hee  came  a  little  againe  unto  himselfe,  and 
then  the  Boyars  had  much  talke  with  him,  and  inter- 
rogated with  him  upon  some  points,  but  it  could  never 
yet  be  well  knowne,  what  passed  betwert  them.  And 
to  the  end  that  the  Halberdier  might  divulge  nothing 
of  such  matters  as  had  passed  betwirt  them,  they 
presently  killed  him  ;  and  afterwards  they  slew  their 
Prince,  with  many  cuttes  and  thrusts,  and  so  they  drew 
out  his  body,  throwing  it  downe  from  aloft,  and  thus 
hacked,  dragged  it  towards  the  market  place  like  a 
dogge  or  some  other  vile  carrion,  leaving  thus  his  stript 
and  naked  dead  body,  to  the  view  of  all  the  world, 
upon  a  plancher  or  stage  erected  on  high,  till  the  fourth 
day  after,  and  under  him  the  body  of  his  friend  Peter 
Basmaneuf. 

"  There  went  every  day  thither  great  numbers  of 
men  and  women,  to  see  this  hideous  sight,  and  they 
put  an  ugly  villard  upon  the  Emperours  belly,  which 
they  had  found  amongest  the  Empresses  spoyls,  and  in 
his  mouth  the  flute,  with  a  kind  of  little  bagpipe  under 
the  arme,  with  a  peece  of  money  of  the  valew  of  halfe  a 
Pater,  giving  to  understand  by  this,  that  for  the  peece  of 
money  hee  gave  them  a  hunts  up,  or  fit  of  an  old  song. 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  285 

"  The  popular  sort  in  the  meane  while,  forbare  not 
to  runne  headlong  up  and  downe  the  Castle,  and  into 
the  Polonians  lodgings,  killing  divers  of  them,  and 
pilling  of  their  houses,  ransacking  them  in  such  sorte 
as  they  had  not  a  shirt  left  to  putte  on  their  bodies. 
.  .  .  The  Lord  Vayvod's  house,  by  reason  it  was 
environed  with  good  walles,  and  Iiad  also  a  good 
guard  within,  was  saved  :  the  gates  were  well  bari- 
cadoed  without,  to  the  end  that  no  man  might  go 
out  or  fly  away.  I  leave  every  man  now  to  imagine, 
how  this  poore  Princesse  with  all  her  Ladies  and 
Damosels,  were  discomforted  in  their  hearts  :  for  she 
was  presently  robbed  and  spoyled  of  all  her  riches, 
iewells,  mooveables,  apparrell  ;  and  even  the  cowches, 
and  beds  whereon  she  reposed,  were  taken  away  from 
under  her  :  as  also  all  the  Lords  and  Polonian  Gentle- 
men were  robbed  of  all  the  iewels  and  presents  that 
had  before  beene  given  them.  True  it  is,  that  they 
within  the  towne  defended  themselves  very  valiantly  in 
their  Innes,  but  in  the  end  they  were  driven  to  yeelde, 
and  leave  the  boote  to  the  others. 

"  The  Lorde  of  Vituenetskie  only  saved  himselfe, 
and  his  traine,  and  killed  many  Russes,  though  they 
had  planted  the  canon  against  his  house,  and  at  last 
seeing  himselfe  hardly  beset,  he  hung  out  a  white 
cloth,  in  signe  that  hee  determined  to  have  yeelded, 
causing  presently  a  number  of  duckats  to  be  scattered 
before  his  chamber  doore. 

"The  Russians  ranne  thicke  and  threefolde  to 
annoint  their  fingers  herewith,  but  his  people  issued 
out  sodainely  upon  them,  and  so  slashing  and  hewing 
on  every  side,  they  slue  above  an  hundred  Russes, 


286  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

and  made  an  open  way  for  themselves  to  goe  out, 
when  in  the  meane  while,  divers  Boyars  of  the  Castle 
came,  who  tooke  the  said  Lord  into  their  protection, 
and  drive  out  all  the  common  people,  so  that  in  the 
end,  all  this  allarum  was  appeased."  The  "  Pogrom  " 
had  come  to  an  end.  It  had  been  an  unlucky  day 
for  all  the  foreign  merchants  in  Moscow,  and  "  many 
foreigners  were  murthered  except  the  English  who 
were  in  all  changes  liked  by  the  Russians." 

"  All  things  had  such  lamentable  issue,  in  this 
terrible  daies  worke,  and  the  peoples  crie  was  so 
dreadfull,  the  alarum  bell  ringing  continually,  and 
there  being  no  end  of  slaughter.'* 

An  English  eye-witness  writing  about  the  tragic 
end  of  Dmitri  tells  that  "  the  old  Queene  denied  him 
to  bee  her  Sonne,  excusing  her  former  acknowledge- 
ment to  have  proceeded  from  feare  and  the  general 
acceptance  which  he  found  amongst  the  people.  .  .  . 
And  then  proceeding  to  a  new  Election  they  chose 
Emperour  Vassiloe  Euanowich  Shoskey,  who  not  long 
before  was  at  the  Blocke  to  haue  beene  beheaded  .  .  . 
but  the  Emperour  did  recall  him,  and  afterwards 
aduanced  him  to  the  chiefest  place  of  dignitie  about 
his  person.  He  is  the  next  of  bloud  liuing,  descended 
of  the  Race  of  the  old  Emperour  luan  Vassilowich, 
of  the  age  of  fiftie  yeeres  or  thereabouts,  neuer 
married,  but  kept  vnder  during  Boris  time,  a  Prince 
of  great  wisdome,  and  a  great  fauourer  of  our  Nation. 
This  election  was  made,  on  the  20  of  May." 

In  the  hope  of  still  further  convincing  the  people 
of  the  futility  of  their  loyalty  to  their  late  ruler, 
the  new  Tsar,  Vassili  Shuiski,  ordered  the  body  of 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  287 

the  supposed  Tsarevitch  Dmitri  which  had  been  hastily 
interred  in  Uglitch  seventeen  years  previously,  to  be 
solemnly  transferred  to  Moscow.  As  the  corpse  was 
found  to  be  in  perfect  condition — always  a  sufficient 
reason  in  those  days  for  canonization — the  defunct 
little  boy  was  proclaimed  a  Saint  by  the  Church.  If 
Dmitri's  contention  was  true  that  another  boy  had 
been  killed  in  his  stead,  then  there  is  a  certain  amount 
of  historic  justice  in  this  canonization. 

cc  The  29  of  May,  Demetrius  his  body,  was  dis- 
interned,  and  drawne  out  of  the  Citie,  it  being  there 
burnt,  and  consumed  to  ashes,  and  the  multitude 
said,  they  would  have  it  thus  performed  :  alleadging, 
how  it  was  to  prevent  the  charms  of  that  dead 
Enchaunter.  For  the  same  night  after  he  was  slaine, 
there  was  such  a  great,  and  wonderful  frost,  that  all 
the  corne  of  the  fields  was  spoyled,  and  as  divers 
verie  old  men  also  affirmed,  in  their  life  time,  they 
never  heard  of  the  like,  in  so  forward  a  season  of  the 
Spring.  All  their  fruites  and  gardens  were  spoyled, 
and  the  leaves  of  the  trees  in  the  forrests,  were  so 
withered,  as  it  was  to  be  feared,  that  this  would  cause 
a  great  dearth  of  all  things  throughout  the  whole 
Countrie  :  all  corne  grew  presently  double,  above  the 
ordinarie  prise,  but  the  night  after  his  bodie  was 
burnt,  it  was  yet  a  far  greater  frost,  so  that  these 
barbarous,  and  infidell  people  beleeve,  that  in  his 
life  time,  he  was  a  great  Nigromancer,  but  they  should 
rathe  have  ascribed,  to  the  great  enormitie  of  their 
owne  grievous  sinnes." 

A  long  list  of  all  the  many  misdeeds  of  which 
Dmitri  was  accused  by  his  enemies  was  drawn  up 


288  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

and  read  to  the  people.  The  English  eye-witness 
considered  it  a  biassed  report  ;  for  he  writes— 

"  Thus  is  Demetrius  painted  out  by  his  Enemies, 
which  perhaps  were  not  altogether  led  with  simplicitie 
of  truth,  but  in  many  things  made  him  worse,  that 
they  might  make  their  owne  cause  (bad  enough)  to 
appeare  better.  They  tell  also  of  great  Outrages 
committed  by  the  Poles,  (like  those  sometimes  here 
in  England  by  the  Danes)  their  proud  insulting  ouer 
the  men,  rauishments  of  women,  fetching  them  out 
of  their  houses  and  husbands  bosomes  to  serue  their 
lusts  :  neither  did  Demetrius,  as  they  say,  punish 
them  ;  one  onely  being  sentenced,  and  hee  violently 
rescued  from  execution  by  the  Poles/' 

Our  Dutch  merchant  quotes  the  points  of  accusation 
in  detail  and  gives  as  number  eight  :  *c  Hee  was 
greeuously  accused  to  haue  prophaned  the  sacred 
calling  of  vowed  Virgins,  in  comming  to  the  monastery 
of  Nunnes  where  his  wife  was  :  and  going  to  see 
them  oftentimes,  for  hauing  violated  some  of  them, 
and  amongst  the  rest,  one  of  Boritz  Fendronitz  his 
daughters."  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  accus- 
ation in  regard  to  the  Princess  was  not  unfounded. 
That  he  made  the  daughter  of  his  predecessor  on 
the  throne  his  concubine  is  the  one  stain  on  Dmitri's 
career.  Yet  one  of  the  foreigners  felt  justified  in 
writing  of  Dmitri  as  "  not  given  either  to  women  or 
drink  :  a  man  not  unworthy  of  a  better  gotten,  and 
longer  continued  Empire,  which  hee  lost  chiefly 
through  the  greatnesse  of  his  minde,  supposing  that 
none  of  his  Subjects  durst  attempt  any  such  matter 
against  his  person,  when  as  in  the  mcane  time  the 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI  289 

practice  went  on  with  such  a  generall  Conjuration, 
that  the  Russes  were  summoned  by  the  ringing  of 
a  Bell  to  bee  readie  to  enter  the  Court,  and  to  shake 
off  that  Gouernment  which  would  have  made  them 
a  more  noble  Nation  then  formerly  they  haue  beene." 

Why  was  it  then  that  the  people  were  so  easily 
influenced  to  turn  and  rend  the  Sovereign  whom  they 
had  so  enthusiastically  welcomed  only  eleven  months 
previously  ?  His  unconventionally  and  thoughtless 
disregard  of  national  prejudices,  the  favour  that  he 
showed  to  foreigners,  his  toleration  of  their  religion 
and  the  presence  of  Jesuits  in  his  entourage,  may 
indeed  have  accelerated  matters,  although  this  might 
all  have  been  lived  down  in  time.  The  two  powerful 
factors  in  bringing  about  his  downfall  were,  the 
treachery  and  conspiracy  of  Prince  Shuiski,  and 
secondly,  the  arrogant  behaviour  of  the  Poles,  to 
whom  no  Russian  lady  was  sacred,  and  who  conducted 
themselves  in  house  and  street  as  though  the  Russians 
were  their  servants.  This  was,  of  course,  intolerable 
to  the  proud  Muscovite  nobles,  whose  indignation  did 
much  to  further  the  machinations  of  Shuiski.  That 
loyalty  to  Dmitri,  although  shaken,  was  never  really 
uprooted  from  the  hearts  of  the  common  people,  is 
proved  by  their  willingness  to  support  the  second 
claimant  Dmitri,  believing  that  the  young  Tsar  had 
had  another  miraculous  escape  and  come  back  again 
to  claim  his  own.  But  was  it  really  his  own  ? 

Captain  Margeret  concludes  his  interesting  report 
to  King  Henry  of  Navarre  of  the  events  which  he 
had  witnessed  with  a  clear  statement  of  the  reasons 
which  had  led  him  to  consider  as  absolutely  impos- 


290  SOME    RUSSIAN   HEROES 

sible  the  tale  spread  abroad '  by  Boris  Godounov  thai 
the  Claimant  was  Grishka  Otrepiev.  He  also  deals 
severally  with  other  current  theories  as  to  Dmitri's 
identity,  and  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  Otrepiev 
himself  is  brought  forward  as  a  witness.  Dmitri  hac 
been  obliged  to  send  this  man  away  from  Moscow  tc 
Yaroslav  because  his  drunkenness  and  behaviour  in 
general  were  creating  a  scandal.  One  of  the  members 
of  the  "  Russia  Company  "  then  residing  in  Yaroslav 
told  Captain  Margeret  that  "  when  Grishka  heard  oi 
the  murder  of  Dmitri  and  of  the  accession  of  Shuiski, 
he  declared  on  oath  that  the  late  Tsar  had  been  in 
very  truth  the  son  of  the  Tsar  Ivan  Vassilievitch  and 
that  it  was  he  who  had  conducted  the  young  Tsare- 
vitch  into  Poland.  He  swore  to  the  truth  of  this 
statement  and  declared  that  he  himself  was  the 
genuine  Grishka  Otrepiev,  the  renegade  monk,  daring 
anyone  to  deny  it." 

Not  long  after  his  coronation,  Shuiski  ordered  a 
search  to  be  made  for  this  monk,  abut  what  became 
of  him,"  says  the  Captain,  "  I  do  not  know." 

The  Frenchman  ends  his  valuable  narrative  with 
these  words  :  "I  for  my  part,  after  carefully  examin- 
ing every  point  for  and  against  the  genuineness  of 
Dmitri's  claim,  am  convinced  that  he  was  in  truth 
the  son  of  the  Tsar  Ivan  Vassilievitch  the  Tormentor." 
Officially  the  False  Dmitri  is  still  stigmatized  as  a 
renegade  monk,  an  impostor,  of  whom  some  say  that 
he  was  an  illegitimate  son  of  the  valorous  Stephen 
Bathori,  King  of  Poland.  Whoever  he  may  have 
been,  he  was  a  man  whom  the  King  of  Poland 
received  at  his  table,  to  whom  two  Popes  indited 


THE   FALSE   DMITRI 


291 


letters,  with  whom  King  James  I  of  England  was 
ready  to  have  political  dealings,  in  whose  personality 
King  Henry  IV  of  France  showed  the  keenest  interest, 
and  about  whose  short  and  brilliant  career  contem- 
poraries wrote  such  accounts  as  supply  material  for 
romance  and  tragedy.1 

1  For  a  fuller  account  see  The  False  Dmitri :  a  Russian  Romance 
and  Tragedy  :  Described  by  British  eye-witnesses,  edited  by  Sonia  E. 
Howe. 


THE   SMALL   PALACE.       BUILT   BY   DMITRI    FOR    HIMSELF   AND    MARINA,    1605. 


CHAPTER  XII 


PATRIOTS     ALL 

IKE  a  cyclone,  anarchy 
and  civil  war  now 
burst  over  Russia. 
Nothing  seemed  able 
to  resist  the  terrific 
onslaught  which 
wrought  such  havoc 
as  had  never  before 
been  seen  or  heard 
of  in  Russia. 

The  uproar  of 
those  early  morning 
hours  during  which 
Dmitri  and  so  many  Poles  lost  their  lives  was  but  a 
foretaste  of  what  was  to  follow.  Now,  war  without 
was  added  to  anarchy  within,  for  the  King  of  Poland 
sought  revenge  for  the  wholesale  slaughter  of  his  sub- 
jects. He  invaded  Russia  and  laid  siege  to  Smolensk. 
Prince  Vassili  Shuiski,  who  had  instigated  the  plot 
against  Dmitri,  although  he  usurped  the  throne,  tried 
to  give  a  semblance  of  legality  to  his  accession. 

According  to  an  English  report  he  was  u  chosen 
by  lot  in  this  manner  :  The  Nobles  cast  lots  foure 
times  to  receiue  a  Successor,  as  it  were,  by  diuine 

292 


NIJNI-NOVGOROD. 
From  a  seventeenth-century  engraving. 


PATRIOTS   ALL  293 

sentence  in  lotoracle  :  in  euery  of  which  times  the  lot 
fell  vpon  Suiskey  (for  as  some  say,  there  were  three 
or  foure  neerer  then  hee)  he  modestly  refusing  and 
enforced  by  constancy  of  the  various  lot  to  accept  that 
Scepter  ;  whereof  others  thinke  him  as  ambitious,  as 
was  modest  Boris  before  him.  Howeuer,  he  hath  left 
his  name  and  memorie  written  in  as  blacke  inke  as 
either  Boris  or  Demetrius,  if  Reports  bee  true,  which 
say  that  he  proued  a  wicked  Prince,  partly  by  poison, 
partly  by  the  Tartars,  making  away  all,  whose  bloud 
might  by  Nobilitie  threaten  a  probabilitie  of  their 
prouing  his  Corriuals.  Yea,  he  is  said  to  haue  sent  for 
Witches  and  Sorcerers,  Laps,  Samoeds,  Tartars,  or 
whatsoeuer  other  Nation  yeelded  such  Hell-hags, 
incarnate  Fiends,  the  Deuils  blacke  guard,  to  consult 
about  his  Empire  and  succession  ;  and  (the  Deuill  is  a 
murtherer)  to  haue  sealed  their  predictions  with  bloud. 
Thus  being  told  that  one  Michalowich  should  succeed, 
he  is  said  presently  to  haue  plotted  the  death  of  three 
Grandes  of  that  name,  his  best  seruants  :  yet  the 
superstitious  people  obserue  (after  much  chopping  and 
changing)  that  in  little  time  the  State  was  settled  on 
one  of  that  Name,  which  still  swaieth  the  Scepter  ; 
Who  then  being  a  youth  of  no  State-terror,  was  his 
attendant  in  Court  and  bare  an  Axe  (after  their  custome) 
before  him." 

Although  Shuiski  scattered  all  Dmitri's  followers  he 
did  not  touch  Margeret — in  fact,  he  seems  to  have 
desired  to  retain  the  services  of  the  gallant  Frenchman, 
who,  however,  declined  to  serve  the  murderer  of  his 
late  master. 

The  Tsar  sent  troops  against  the  Polish    invaders, 


294  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

amongst  them  over  1000  English  and  Scottish 
mercenaries,  who  had  come  to  Russia  with  the  Swedish 
forces  in  response  to  his  appeal  for  help. 

"  Sigismund  King  of  Poland  layeth  claime  to  Sweden, 
as  sonne  to  King  lohn  (who  is  said  to  haue  vniustly 
depriued  Ericus  of  his  life  and  Kingdome)  whose 
younger  brother  Duke  Charles  first  receiued  his 
Nephew  King  Sigismund  (then  also  elected  and  still 
continuing  King  of  Poland)  but  vpon  warres  which 
after  arose  betwixt  them,  the  issue  was,  that  the  Pole 
holds  the  Title  :  but  Charles  obtayned  both  Regall 
Title  and  Power,  wherein  his  Sonne  hath  succeeded. 
Suisky  takes  hold  of  this  difference,  and  Charles 
assists  him  with  an  Armie." 

The  tide  of  fortune,  however,  turned  against  the 
Tsar  ;  the  boyars,  too,  sought  to  overthrow  him  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  they  dreaded  the  increasing 
encroachment  of  Polish  power,  but  they  objected  to  the 
Usurper  as  much  as  to  the  Pretender.  As  a  com- 
promise and  possible  solution  of  the  difficulty  a  certain 
party  of  boyars  now  decided  to  write  to  Prince  Vladislav, 
the  son  of  the  King  of  Poland,  to  invite  him  to  become 
their  Tsar,  but  only  on  condition  that  he  should  first 
join  the  Russian  Church.  They  argued  that  in  this 
way  the  Empire  would  be  saved  from  war  and  possible 
absorption  into  Poland,  as  the  King  would  surely 
spare  the  realm  of  his  son.  An  embassy  consisting  of 
some  of  the  ablest  men,  both  lay  and  clerical,  such  as 
Philaret  and  Golitsin,  was  thereupon  sent  to  Sigismund 
who  was,  at  the  moment,  besieging  Smolensk.  The 
King,  however,  had  no  intention  of  allowing  his  son  to 
enjoy  what  he  coveted  for  himself  ;  it  was  his  ambition 


PATRIOTS   ALL  295 

to  make  an  end  of  Muscovy  as  an  independent  state, 
and  to  treat  her  as  his  ancestors  had  done  to  Lithuania. 
Meanwhile   a   new   Pretender    had    arisen,  who,  in 
his   turn,  claimed    to   be    Dmitri.     The   people,  with 
characteristic  credulity,  found  no  difficulty  in  believing 
him  to  be  the  young  Tsar,  of  whom  it  was  reported 
that  he  had  escaped  with  his  life  and  that  someone  else 
had  been   killed  in   his  stead.     Captain  Gilbert,  who 
knew  the  Pretender  and  "was  by  him  entertayned," 
told    his    friends    in    Scotland    that  :    a  Hee    being    at 
Coluga  received  a  Letter  from  this  new  Demetrius,  so 
written  that  it  appeared  to  bee  of  the  former  Demetrius 
his  owne  hand  :  and  thus  also  he  vsed  to  do  to  others 
being  able  to  counterfeit  his  writing,  and  to  relate  such 
other    particulars    as    seemed    impossible    to    any    but 
Demetrius  to  doe.     Hereupon  Captaine  Gilbert  went 
with   his   Guard   of  Souldiers   to   meete  him  and  the 
Polake  Generall  which  came  with  him.     And  whiles  he 
was  yet  a  good  distance  off,  Ah  (this  Demetrius  called 
to   him)   my   true   seruant,  where   were  you  and  my 
Guard,    when    the    villians    hurt    me  ?    but    if    I    had 
followed  the  counsell  which  you  gave  me  such  a  time 
in  such  a  place  (relating  the  particulars)  1  had  preuented 
them.     This  circumstance  had  moued  him  to  beleeue 
this  to  be  the  former  Demetrius,  had  not  he  differed 
from  this  in  person,  as  night  from  day.     Thus  also  he 
said  he  affirmed  to  the  Pole  Generall,  asking  him  how 
he  liked  this  Demetrius,  that  This  and  That  were  as 
like  as  Night  and  Day  (for  the  former  was  of  goodly 
personage   and    this   a   very  deformed   wretch).     The 
Pole  replyed,  It  is  no  matter,  Captaine,  this  Demetrius 
shall  serue  our  turne  to  bee  reuenged  of  the  perfidious 


296  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

and  bloudie  Russe.  And  this  Demetrius  acted  the 
other  so  neerly,  and  could  so  cunningly  and  confidently 
relate  particular  passages  of  past  occurrents,  that  the 
Lady  of  Demetrius  was  by  him  bedded."  Thus  the 
attempts  of  Shuiski  to  make  it  evident  that  the  Tsar 
Dmitri  was  really  dead  were  after  all  in  vain.  Even 
Marina,  under  compulsion  of  her  ambitious  father, 
recognized  the  new  Pretender  as  her  husband. 

This  adventurer,  commonly  known  as  "  The  Thief 
of  Toushina,"  was  supported  by  the  Cossacks,  who 
hoped  thereby  to  gain  rich  plunder. 

Followed  by  this  lawless  rabble,  he  now  threatened 
Moscow,  which  was  in  a  sorry  plight.  The  Poles  within 
the  city  grew  more  arrogant  and  insulting,  backed  up 
as  they  were  by  a  party  of  pro-Polish  boyars  :  "  Thus 
was  miserable  Russia  ground  betwixt  these  two  Mill- 
stones, the  pretending  Demetrius  and  the  super- 
intending Pole,"  writes  an  eye-witness,  for  the  foreign 
armies  under  the  command  of  the  Swedish  general  : 
"  march  to  Mosko,  which  the  new  Demetrius  and 
Poles  held  besieged,  and  put  Demetrius  into  such 
feare,  that  not  trusting  the  Pole,  and  fearing  his 
Aduersaries  on  both  sides,  he  stole  away  by  night  with 
a  small  retinue  :  and  the  Poles  obtayned  Articles  of 
composition  and  departed.  But  miserable  were  the 
distresses  by  famine,  fire,  sword,  rapes,  and  other 
outrages  in  other  parts  of  Russia,  caused  by  other 
Poles  :  and  yet  these  but  as  a  beginning  and  prelude 
to  other  following.  .  .  . 

..."  Suiskey  is  helped  not  a  little  by  the  English, 
which  brought  him  strangely  and  aduenturously  powder 
and  munition  to  his  Castle  to  Mosko,  which  yet  at  last 


PATRIOTS   ALL  297 

by  reuolt  of  the  Citizens  deliuers  vp  it  selfe  and  him 
to  the  Poles." 

After  a  troubled  reign  of  four  years,  during  which 
the  people  several  times  tried  to  get  rid  of  the  usurper, 
Vassili  Shuiski  was  forced  to  abdicate.  He  was 
forcibly  shriven  and  handed  over  to  the  Poles,  who 
took  the  deposed  Tsar  to  Warsaw  where  he  was  ex- 
posed to  every  indignity,  and  had  to  witness  the 
unconcealed  joy  of  the  Poles  at  the  downfall  of 
Muscovy  :  "  The  Kings  and  princes  of  Polland,  always 
enymies  of  the  Moscovettes,  takes  now  advantage  .  .  . 
of  a  wonderful  confused  estate  ...  in  Moscow  and 
prepares  an  army  to  keepe  possession  of  the  Crown 
and  country.  ..."  Foreign  eye-witnesses  were  deeply 
impressed  by  the  misery  of  Russia,  and  one  of  them — 
an  Englishman — moved  with  pity  and  horror,  writes  : 
"  Thus  have  we  seen  the  Russians  sciones  utterly 
rooting  up  so  many  Russian  Imperial  families  and 
persons  ;  the  whole  family  of  luan  extirpate  that  of 
Boris  succeeding — annihilate  ;  Lord  pretending  Deme- 
try  and  Suiski  extinct ;  and  yet  have  we  greater 
abominations  to  shew  you.  No  Tyrant,  no  Serpent, 
no  Dragon  is  so  exorbitant  and  prodigious  as  that 
which  hath  many  heads — therefore  in  diuine  Visions 
Monarchies  (howeuer  excessive  and  tyrannical)  haue 
beene  resembled  by  simpler,  more  uniforme  beasts. 
.  .  .  And  now  has  Russia  a  Monster  of  many  heads, 
that  is,  a  bodie  fallen  into  many  pieces.  The  man 
possessed  of  the  wife  of  that  double  Demetrius,  got  to 
Astracan,  there  seating  himselfe  to  set  up  an  usurped 
shop  of  Rule  ;  the  Southerne  parts  chose  Prince 
Vladislaus,  son  of  King  Sigismond  of  Poland  ;  those  of 


298  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

the  North  thought  of  other  princes  .  .  .  and  at  last  a 
popular  government  happened,  or  if  you  will,  a  con- 
fusion of  the  multitude  bare  sway,  which  killed  and 
murthered  every  great  man,  whom  any  Rascall  would 
accuse  to  be  a  friend  of  the  Poles,  or  to  any  of  the 
dead  Emperors  whom  these  popular  injudicious  Judges 
fancied  not.  And  now  Russia  blushed  with  impotencie, 
that  is  with  the  shameless  sight  of  the  daily  effusion 
and  profusion  of  her  best  blood  ;  and  euery  man  was 
an  actor  and  oh  that  they  had  beene  but  Actors  !  too 
really  did  they  present  (not  represent)  bloudie  Trage- 
dies of  which  their  whole  country  was  become  the 
theatre,  the  Devil  the  Choragus  (a  murtherer  from  the 
beginning)  and  the  whole  world  spectator,  stupid  with 
admiration,  quaking  with  horror  of  so  uncouth  a  sight." 
It  was  when  matters  had  arrived  at  this  pitch  that  a 
voice  was  raised  in  protest — and  this  voice  carried 
weight.  It  was  that  of  the  Patriarch  Hermogen  of 
Moscow. 

This  man  of  iron  will  and  unbending  seventy,  but 
of  acknowledged  integrity  and  piety,  refused  to  recog- 
nize the  Polish  Prince  Vladislav  as  Tsar  unless  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Russian  Church,  for  to 
Hermogen  the  Latin  faith  was  anathema  ;  although 
some  boyars  were  willing  to  waive  the  condition,  he 
threatened  with  excommunication  any  Russian  who 
should  acknowledge  the  Prince  as  Tsar.  It  was  due  to 
his  refusal  to  accept  and  bless  a  Roman  Catholic  ruler 
that  matters  regarding  the  succession  had  not  been 
settled.  The  Poles  hated  him  for  frustrating  their 
plans,  and  so  did  the  boyars,  who  deeply  resented 
the  unbending  attitude  of  the  masterful  prelate.  On 


PATRIOTS   ALL  299 

one  occasion  the  irate  Boyar  Saltykov,  drew  knife 
against  Hermogen,  who  remained  quite  calm  in  the 
assurance  of  being  "armed  with  the  Cross,"  as  he  ex- 
pressed himself.  The  Patriarch,  however,  without 
delay,  commanded  the  people  to  gather  the  next  day 
in  the  cathedral,  as  he  intended  to  address  them  ;  and, 
in  spite  of  every  attempt  of  the  Poles  to  keep  the 
populace  away,  many  managed  to  hear  their  Patriarch's 
impassioned  appeal  to  "arise,  protect  the  faith,  and 
pass  on  this  resolution  to  the  other  towns."  The 
fearless  priest  was  thereupon  put  under  arrest  and 
strictly  guarded. 

His  appeal,  however,  had  not  been  uttered  in  vain, 
and  one  of  the  first  to  respond  was  Prokopie 
Lyapounov,  a  member  of  one  of  those  old  princely 
families  which  in  course  of  time  had  lost  their  lands 
and  even  their  titles.  This  true-hearted  patriot  had 
withdrawn  his  support  of  the  Polish  Prince  as  soon 
as  he  had  realized  the  intended  treachery  of  the  King 
and  the  danger  to  his  beloved  country.  In  response 
to  the  Patriarch's  call  he  now  gladly  put  himself,  his 
wealth,  his  great  influence  in  Ryazan,  and  his  men  at 
the  service  of  Hermogen.  Lyapounov  possessed  great 
gifts  of  leadership,  and  was  able  to  sway  the  masses  by 
his  impassioned  oratory.  The  appeal  for  a  national 
levy  in  order  to  drive  out  the  enemy  was  written  out  by 
him,  together  with  a  description  of  the  awful  condition 
of  the  people  of  Smolensk,  whose  country  was  being 
ravaged  by  the  Poles.  To  this  he  added  in  his  own 
words — 

"  Let  us  bravely  arise  and  let  us  put  on  the  whole 
armour  of  God  and  let  the  whole  country  unite  to  drive 


300  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

the  enemy  out  of  Moscow — then  let  us  take  counsel 
with  all  true  believers  of  the  Muscovite  Empire  as  to 
who  shall  be  our  ruler.  If  the  King  of  Poland  con- 
sents to  have  his  son  baptised  into  the  true  faith  and 
agrees  to  his  becoming  our  Tsar,  and  if  he  will  with- 
draw all  the  Lithuanian  troops  from  Russia  and  his  army 
from  Smolenck,  then  shall  we  be  willing  to  swear  fealty 
to  the  Tsar  Vladislav  Sigismondovitch  and  to  be  his 
faithful  servants,  but  if  King  Sigismond  refuses  to 
accept  these  our  conditions  then  let  us  stand  up  and 
defend  the  true  faith  and  fight  for  the  Russian  lands. 
We  must  be  animated  by  one  idea — to  uphold  our 
orthodox  faith  or  to  die  one  and  all  in  the  attempt." 

Copies  of  this  document  were  sent  to  every  town, 
with  the  result  that  the  smouldering  hatred  against 
Poland  burst  out  into  flame.  Messengers  were  de- 
spatched to  collect  recruits  from  the  surrounding 
country.  Church  bells  called  the  people  together ; 
everyone  brought  what  he  could  in  the  way  of  weapons 
— in  every  part  people  gathered  together  and  passed 
resolutions  to  be  true  to  the  faith  and  to  Muscovy, 
not  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Polish  King, 
nor  to  have  any  dealings  with  his  Russian  supporters. 
It  was  decided  that  they  should  all  join  together  and 
march  against  Moscow  to  deliver  it  from  the  Polish 
domination.  They  agreed  not  to  create  any  unnecessary 
disturbances,  not  to  harm  in  any  way  the  Russian 
people,  and  to  protect  and  stand  by  any  who  might  be 
harmed  or  punished  by  the  Moscow  boyars,  and  to 
live  in  unity  with  one  another. 

This  rising  spread  from  place  to  place,  and  men  came 
from  far  and  near  to  rally  round  the  standard  of 


PATRIOTS   ALL  301 

Lyapounov.  Unfortunately,  in  his  impetuous  zeal,  he 
accepted  the  help  of  Zarouski,  the  Cossack  leader, 
whose  motive  was  not  patriotism,  but  merely  the 
desire  to  fish  more  advantageously  in  troubled  waters. 

In  January  the  appeal  had  been  issued,  and  in 
March  a  troop  of  armed  citizens  approached  the 
capital.  When  this  became  known  in  Moscow  the 
infuriated  boyars  and  Poles  sent  to  the  Patriarch, 
the  prime  instigator  of  this  rising.  The  Boyar  Saltykov 
indignantly  expostulated  with  him,  saying  :  "  Behold 
the  result  of  thy  letter  to  the  towns  !  the  militia  are 
approaching  the  capital.  Write  immediately  and  forbid 
them  to  come."  To  this  the  Patriarch  courageously 
replied  :  "  As  soon  as  all  ye  traitors  and  all  the  Polish 
troops  have  left  the  town,  I  will  write  to  them  to  with- 
draw, but  if  you  remain  1  will  urge  them  to  persist  in 
their  undertaking." 

It  was  Tuesday  in  Holy  Week — apparently  every- 
thing was  as  usual  in  Moscow,  except  for  the  vast 
number  of  carts  which  were  being  driven  into  the 
town,  ostensibly  bringing  goods  to  market.  Presently 
the  Poles,  suspecting  that  they  might  be  intended  for 
barricades,  ordered  the  drivers  to  carry  up  guns  to 
the  Kremlin,  which  they  refused  to  do.  Then  the  riot 
broke  out — Moscow  arose  to  a  man.  The  Poles  in 
their  fury  slaughtered  everyone  they  could  lay  their 
hands  on.  They  pillaged  churches  and  houses  so 
effectually  that  men  who  a  few  days  previously  had 
been  clothed  in  rags,  now  donned  gold  embroidered 
robes  ;  so  plentiful  did  pearls  become  that  the  Poles 
are  said  to  have  loaded  their  guns  with  them.  Nearer 
and  nearer  to  the  city  drew  the  National  Army. 


302  SOME    RUSSIAN   HEROES 

Realizing  that  their  numbers  were  insufficient  to  with- 
stand such  a  combined  onslaught,  the  Poles  resorted  to 
the  desperate  measure  of  setting  fire  to  the  outer  ring 
of  the  town.  In  Kitaigorod  they  murdered  all  the 
Russian  men  and  gambled  for  the  beautiful  women 
and  children,  and  three  days  later,  all  but  the  Kremlin 
and  Kitaigorod  were  a  heap  of  ashes. 

Under  the  threat  of  a  cruel  death  the  Patriarch  was 
commanded  to  write  to  Lyapounov  to  withdraw  with 
his  people,  but  this  left  Hermogen  quite  unmoved. 
"  You  threaten  me  with  a  shameful  death,"  he  replied, 
"  but  I  hope  through  this  to  gain  the  crown  of  eternal 
life  ;  it  has  always  been  my  desire  to  be  permitted  to 
suffer  for  righteousness'  sake,  and  I  have  already  once 
told  you  that  I  refuse  to  comply  with  your  demands 
and  therefore  will  not  write  according  to  your  will. 
This  is  my  last  word  in  the  matter  !  "  Thereupon  he 
was  incarcerated  in  a  cell  of  the  Tchoudov  Monastery 
and  subjected  to  every  kind  of  indignity. 

For  four  months  the  Russian  Army  besieged 
Moscow,  but  then  unfortunately  quarrels  broke  out 
among  the  leaders.  Lyapounov  objected  strongly  to 
the  lawlessness  displayed  by  the  Cossacks,  who  in  their 
turn  resented  his  strict  discipline  ;  on  one  occasion 
twenty-eight  Cossacks  who  had  done  deeds  of  violence 
were  drowned  by  his  orders.  There  was  also  some 
overlapping  of  authority,  as  both  Lyapounov  and 
Zarouski  had  held  command. 

Thus  the  whole  Cossack  Army  rose  against  Lyapounov, 
who  thereupon  decided  to  withdraw,  but  the  National 
Army  fetched  him  back.  News  of  these  dissensions 
reached  the  commander  of  the  Polish  troops,  and  an 


PATRIOTS   ALL  303 

intrigue  against  the  Russian  patriot  was  now  planned 
and  successfully  carried  out.  Gonscevski  wrote  a 
letter  purporting  to  have  been  written  by  Lyapounov, 
whose  signature  he  had  cleverly  forged.  This  letter 
he  allowed  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Cossacks,  who 
were  incensed  at  reading  that  it  was  the  intention  of 
the  Russian  leader  to  have  them  all  killed  as  soon  as 
the  Kremlin  was  taken.  The  unsuspecting  man  was 
confronted  by  the  Cossacks,  who  asked  him  whether 
the  signature  was  his  and  whether  he  had  written  the 
letter.  Quietly,  and  in  a  dignified  manner,  Lyapounov 
told  them  that  the  signature  was  strangely  like  his,  but 
that  he  had  no  knowledge  of  this  document.  Accused 
by  the  Cossacks  of  lying,  the  noble  victim  of  a  base 
intrigue  found  an  unexpected  defender  in  a  certain 
Rsjevski,  a  personal  opponent,  who,  nevertheless,  now 
stood  up  for  Lyapounov's  honesty,  which  he  declared 
was  beyond  doubt.  Both  the  accused  and  the  defender 
were,  however,  done  to  death  by  the  lawless  Cossacks. 

On  the  murder  of  their  leader,  a  general  demoraliza- 
tion of  the  troops  set  in  :  the  majority  of  the  people 
who  had  followed  the  Patriarch's  call  returned  to  their 
homes,  while  those  who  did  not  desert  continued  the 
siege  of  Moscow  under  the  leadership  of  Prince 
Troubetzkoi.  Many,  however,  formed  themselves 
into  bands  of  robbers  and  began  to  raid  the  country. 

The  Muscovite  ambassadors  in  the  camp  of  King 
Sigismund  were  made  prisoners  and  sent  into  Poland. 
Finally  the  siege  of  Smolensk,  which  had  lasted  two 
years,  came  to  an  end,  for  the  people  of  Smolensk, 
unable  to  endure  any  longer  the  horrors  of  the  siege, 
burned  their  town  and  themselves  with  it.  It  seemed 


304  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

as  if  there  were  no  longer  any  escape  for  Russia  from 
absorption  into  Poland.  Darkness  and  gloom,  anarchy 
<tnd  war,  reigned  supreme.  These  conditions  Sweden 
utilized  in  order  to  secure  for  herself  at  least  a  part  of 
Russia,  and  Novgorod  was  therefore  attacked  by  a 
Swedish  force.  At  the  same  time  a  third  Pretender 
appeared,  claiming  to  be  Dmitri,  and  him  the  citizens 
of  Pskov  recognized  as  Tsar. 

Thus  the  crowned  Tsar  Vassili  was  a  prisoner  among 
the  Poles,  two  Pretenders  were  claiming  his  crown,  and 
the  King  of  Poland's  son  was  the  candidate  of  the 
Boyar  party  whose  recognition  was  contingent  on  his 
change  of  creed.  To  add  to  these  political  complica- 
tions, Tatars  invaded  the  country  and  the  Tcheremiss 
in  Eastern  Russia  were  rising  in  revolt,  and  through- 
out the  land  marauding  robber  bands  were  terrorizing 
the  population,  who  were  also  exposed  to  the  savagery 
of  the  Polish  troops,  more  than  half  of  which  were 
German  mercenaries.  Conditions  were  truly  awful 
and  the  Muscovite  people  in  a  terrible  plight.  In 
winter  matters  grew  still  worse,  for  numberless  people, 
robbed  of  their  homes,  now  froze  to  death  along  the 
wayside.  A  Russian  contemporary  thus  describes  the 
conditions  :  "  It  was  such  a  manifestation  of  the  terrors 
of  the  wrath  of  God  that  mankind  could  hardly  dare 
hope  for  deliverance.  Nearly  the  whole  Russian  land 
is  devastated.  This  period  of  terror  can  only  be  called 
the  Great  Tribulation,  for  the  misery  of  the  Russian 
people  was  as  it  had  never  been  since  the  day  of 


creation." 


Who  was  to  help  them  ?     Who  to  stand  by  them  or 
to  deliver  them  from  the  hands  of  their  enemies  ? 


PATRIOTS    ALL  305 

When  all  hope  seemed  lost  and  Muscovy  on  the 
verge  of  total  ruin,  succour  was  approaching.  In  the 
Troitsa  Sergei  Monastery  ruled  the  Archimandrite 
Dionissi,  friend  and  fellow-worker  of  the  Patriarch 
Hermogen.  These  two  friends  differed  greatly  in 
temperament :  Hermogen  was  quick-tempered,  severe, 
sharp,  suspicious  and  very  often  dissatisfied  with 
men  and  matters,  and  lacking  in  graciousness  of 
manner  ;  Dionissi,  on  the  other  hand,  was  kind  and 
gentle,  never  ruffled,  good-natured  and  full  of  charm. 
Yet  both  were  upright,  honest,  God-fearing  men  and 
passionate  patriots,  and  united  to  each  other  by  a 
strong  bond  of  personal  love. 

The  Archimandrite  was  renowned  for  his  works  of 
charity  and  mercy.  He  knew  only  too  well  how 
terribly  the  people  were  suffering ;  starved,  naked, 
almost  frozen,  men,  women,  and  children  fled  for 
refuge  to  the  great  monastery,  where  they  were  clothed 
and  fed.  Many  a  tortured  man  would  crawl  to  that 
sanctuary  there  to  find  relief  for  his  excruciating  suffer- 
ings, for  flayed  backs,  burnt-out  eyes,  and  other  horrors 
perpetrated  by  the  mercenaries  or  the  Poles,  were 
common  occurrences.  The  good  Archimandrite  turned 
part  of  his  monastery  into  a  hospital  and  built  several 
others  in  villages  under  his  jurisdiction,  and  also  estab- 
lished hostels  for  the  homeless  people  where  his  poor 
suffering  flock  could  be  tended — some  back  to  health, 
others  until  they  died  ;  but  at  least  they  were  cared 
for,  and  then  received  Christian  burial.  Dionissi  him- 
self saw  to  everything,  and  while  he  and  his  monks 
lived  on  water  and  bread,  the  sick  and  needy  were  fed 
with  fresh  food.  He  administered  medicine  to  the 


306  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

sick  and  the  sacrament  to  the  dying,  and  neither  night 
nor  day  did  he  give  himself  any  rest. 

He  ordered  his  monks  to  search  for  the  homeless 
sick,  many  of  whom  died  from  exposure  in  forest  and 
field,  for  wherever  the  Poles  passed  through  on  their 
foraging  expeditions  they  burned  all  the  cottages. 
Within  thirty  weeks  the  monks  thus  brought  the 
corpses  of  over  3000  hapless  Russians  to  the  monas- 
tery, where  they  were  reverently  buried.  In  one  village 
alone  were  buried  in  one  day  860  corpses. 

Services  of  intercession  for  the  deliverance  of  the 
country  were  held  continuously  by  his  orders,  and 
letters  of  encouragement  or  of  admonition  were  written 
by  him  to  the  warriors  before  Moscow  and  to  various 
cities  to  urge  them  to  keep  up  the  supply  of  men  and 
means. 

The  Archimandrite,  however,  was  not  only  a  good 
and  pious,  but  also  a  clever  man.  He  realized  where 
the  cause  of  the  terrible  conditions  lay  and  what  was 
required  to  deliver  his  nation  from  doom  ;  so  far  as 
in  him  lay,  he  intended  to  work  towards  this  end. 
He  therefore  composed  a  letter  to  the  nation,  which 
was  copied  many  times  by  the  monks,  and  the  copies 
were  then  given  to  the  people  who,  from  all  parts 
of  the  country,  visited  the  sanctuary  of  the  famous 
monastery — 

This  "Gramota,"  or  writing,  was  a  call  to  prayer 
and  to  repentance  and  sacrifice,  lest  a  worse  fate  should 
befall  the  nation.  It  was  an  appeal  for  help  to  the 
other  parts  of  the  Empire  to  come  to  the  rescue  of  the 
heart  of  the  country — Moscow.  He  called  upon  them 
to  repent  and  to  unite  in  whole-hearted  prayer,  and  he 


PATRIOTS   ALL  307 

also  called  upon  them  to  take  up  arms.  He  pleaded 
for  a  cessation  of  all  party  strife,  urging  the  leaders  to 
forego  their  private  quarrels  until  such  time  as  the 
enemy  had  been  expelled  from  Russia.  In  lurid 
colours  he  described  the  awful  conditions  of  the 
neighbourhood  of  Moscow  and  Smolensk,  and  warned 
the  other  cities  that  unless  they  united  and  drove  the 
Poles  away,  their  fate  would  be  as  terrible  ;  they  were 
not  to  let  themselves  be  lulled  into  a  false  belief  of 
security,  because  of  the  distance  of  their  town  from  the 
ravaging  hosts  of  the  enemy.  He  pleaded  with  them 
as  faithful  Christians  to  protect  the  sanctuaries  and  to 
fight  manfully  for  their  faith  and  country,  to  trust  in 
God,  to  obey  Him,  and  to  vow  not  to  rest  until  the 
work  of  driving  out  the  cruel  foe  was  accomplished. 
Surely  then  the  Almighty  would  turn  away  His  dis- 
pleasure and  His  well-deserved  wrath,  save  them  from 
cruel  death,  and  deliver  Russia  from  the  yoke  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Poles. 

This  letter  put  fresh  heart  into  the  people,  and 
the  national  spirit,  which  was  well-nigh  quenched,  began 
to  revive.  The  campaign  against  the  Poles  had  not 
died  out  with  Lyapounov's  death,  but  it  lacked 
cohesion  and  had  degenerated  into  a  guerilla  warfare. 
Still  the  towns  kept  up  communication  with  each 
other,  one  encouraging  another  to  do  its  best  for 
faith  and  fatherland.  The  clergy,  too,  played  their 
part  valiantly  ;  they  called  upon  the  people  to  repent 
of  their  sins,  and  by  their  zeal  infused  hope  and 
confidence.  In  spite,  however,  of  these  efforts  to 
carry  on  the  rising,  there  was  no  plan  of  defence  or 
offence,  and  waste  of  energy,  means  and  time  was 


308  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

apparent    everywhere  ;    in    fact    there   was    utter    dis- 
organization. 

Among  the  cities  to  which  a  copy  of  the  Archi- 
mandrite's letter  had  been  sent  was  Nijni-Novgorod, 
and  there  the  Voyevoda  called  together  the  leading 
citizens  to  hear  the  appeal  and  consider  what  to  do. 
The  Starosta,  or  elder  of  the  Council,  Minin,  a 
butcher  by  trade,  but  who  had  once  been  a  soldier, 
suggested  that  the  letter  should  also  be  read  in 
church  to  the  whole  people,  and  "  then  let  us  see 
what  God  will  direct  us  to  do."  As  to  himself, 
he  had  seen  a  vision  of  St.  Sergei  Radonejski  who 
appeared  to  him,  saying :  "  Arouse  those  who  are 
sleeping  !  "  His  suggestion  was  accepted,  and  the 
next  day  the  big  bells  of  the  cathedral  called  the 
people  together  and  to  the  assembled  multitude  the 
letter  was  read.  They  heard  in  how  sore  a  plight 
Moscow  was  and  in  what  danger  the  whole  country 
lay.  Then  the  people  exclaimed  :  "  There  is  no 
hope  for  us,  greater  evil  is  still  sure  to  fall  upon 
us  !  "  and,  groaning,  they  called  out  :  "  Woe  unto 
us  !  Woe  unto  us  !  "  Later  on,  many  citizens  who 
were  moved  to  horror  and  pity  gathered  outside  the 
church  to  discuss  the  position.  It  was  then  that 
their  fellow-citizen,  Minin,  butcher  and  cattle-driver, 
stepped  forward  and  addressed  the  crowd  in  these 
brave  words  :  "  Fellow-believers,  let  us  save  the 
Muscovite  Empire  and  let  us  sacrifice  for  that  our 
possessions.  If  we  are  to  save  the  Empire  we  must 
forget  our  personal  comfort  and  consider  the  national 
welfare  first  and  foremost.  Let  us  sell  our  goods 
and  houses,  let  us  pawn  our  wives  and  children,  in 


PATRIOTS  ALL  309 

order  to  raise  money.  Let  us  also  select  someone  to 
be  our  leader  and  then  let  us  courageously  go  ahead. 
True  !  it  is  a  great  undertaking,  but  we  shall  be 
able  to  carry  it  out  if  God  is  with  us  !  Consider 
what  great  fame  we  shall  acquire  if  from  such  a 
small  town  as  ours  such  a  great  deal  will  be  accom- 
plished. We  will  deliver  Russia,  but  not  we  alone  ; 
for  as  soon  as  the  other  cities  hear  what  Nijni- 
Novgorod  has  decided  upon,  they  will  follow  our 
example." 

Spellbound  the  people  listened  to  the  glowing 
words  of  the  man  who  had  seen  the  vision  and  who 
was  already  doing  what  he  had  been  bidden  to  do. 
Several  times  he  had  to  speak  to  crowds  who  wanted 
to  hear  for  themselves  what  Minin  had  to  say.  He 
succeeded  in  awakening  the  people  of  Nijni-Novgorod 
from  their  slumber  of  selfishness  and  false  security 
to  the  need  of  their  country.  The  result  of  it  was 
that  at  last  the  people  called  out  :  "  Let  Kosma 
Minin  be  our  leader  and  we  will  give  ourselves 
absolutely  into  his  hands." 

Minin  was  a  wise  man  ;  he  told  them  that  it  was 
a  military  leader  they  needed.  Where  to  find  one, 
however,  was  the  difficulty,  for  most  of  the  nobles 
were  discredited  in  the  eyes  of  the  people  by  having 
supported  pretenders  and  usurpers,  as  well  as  the 
Poles. 

After  careful  deliberation  it  was  at  last  decided  to 
invite  Prince  Dmitri  Pojarski  to  accept  the  leadership 
of  the  people  who  were  to  form  themselves  into  a 
National  Army. 

This  Prince  Pojarski,   although  of   ancient  lineage 


310  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

was  now  merely  a  country  squire  ;  but  his  record 
was  clean  and  honourable  and  he  had  been  one  of 
the  first  to  follow  Lyapounov's  call  for  help  to  the 
nation.  In  the  furious  attack  against  Moscow,  he 
had  been  one  of  the  first  to  get  into  the  burning  city, 
but  owing  to  the  fire  was  forced  to  retire.  He  was 
wounded,  but  had  been  rescued  by  his  men  and 
taken  to  his  country  estate,  where  he  had  since  been 
recovering  from  his  injuries.  A  deputation  consisting 
of  the  Archimandrite,  of  the  nobleman  Boltin,  and 
representatives  of  the  citizens,  was  sent  at  once  to 
him,  for  Minin  knew  how  to  strike  while  the  iron 
was  hot.  He  feared  the  fickleness  of  the  crowd  and 
decided  upon  immediate  action.  The  unambitious 
country  squire  was  at  first  taken  aback  by  the  request 
to  put  himself  at  the  head  of  the  nation — for  it 
amounted  to  that  ;  for  the  sake  of  the  people, 
however,  and  seeing  the  urgency  of  the  cause,  he 
agreed  to  come  and  do  his  best — "  to  give  his  life  for 
the  true  faith." 

He  told  the  deputation  that  he  required  a  helper 
in  this  great  undertaking — some  good,  true,  and 
business-like  citizen  who  should  be  in  charge  of  the 
war-chest,  and  who  should  get  the  money  as  well  as 
pay  the  troops ;  in  fact,  organize  the  national  resources, 
while  he  himself  saw  to  the  levying  and  training  of 
the  men.  This  seemed  only  a  reasonable  request, 
and  when  Prince  Pojarski  suggested  that  Minin,  the 
butcher,  should  occupy  this  position,  they  were  greatly 
pleased,  for  thus  the  people's  and  the  leader's  choice 
had  fallen  on  one  and  the  same  man. 

On  their  return  to  Nijni-Novgorod  the  deputation 


PATRIOTS   ALL  311 

informed  the  waiting  people  of  the  decision,  and 
Minin  was  at  once  asked  to  be  the  manager  of  the 
War  Finances.  This  clever  and  shrewd  man  foresaw 
that  his  task  would  be  a  difficult  one,  and  that  to 
wield  authority  with  power,  it  would  not  do  to  accept 
the  honourable  but  arduous  position  too  readily ;  there- 
fore only  after  a  general  meeting  of  the  populace  had 
elected  him  unanimously,  did  he  accept  the  position. 
To  insure  himself  against  future  difficulties  and 
rebellion  he  demanded  that  all  the  people  present 
should  affix  their  signatures  to  a  declaration  in  which 
they  were  to  'promise  unconditional  obedience  to 
Prince  Pojarski  and  to  himself  :  also  that  they  would 
arm  themselves  or  bring  money  with  which  to  pay 
the  troops.  "  If  you  fail  to  do  this  sufficiently  well, 
rather  than  let  the  troops  suffer  lack,  I  will  confiscate 
your  possessions,  your  wives  and  your  children  I  will 
give  into  servitude."  The  citizens  agreed  to  these 
drastic  measures,  and  Minin,  who  fully  realized  the 
urgency  for  hurrying  on  matters,  set  to  and  quickly 
organized  a  general  scheme  of  taxation.  He  immedi- 
ately appointed  a  special  body  of  assistants.  No  one 
was  exempt,  not  even  Church  property  or  monasteries 
— all  alike  had  to  give  a  fifth  of  their  possessions  ; 
those  who  had  no  money  had  to  sell  up  their 
property.  Nor  were  the  poor  to  escape.  Rich  men 
had  to  lend  money  to  the  poor  in  exchange  for  their 
services,  or  those  of  their  wives  and  children  ;  and 
thus  the  rich  were  doubly  taxed,  as  only  they  could 
buy  property  or  take  labourers. 

The  people,  however,  soon  began  to  groan   under 
the  iron  measures   of   their  Financial    War  Dictator? 


3i2  SOME  RUSSIAN    HEROES 

and  the  poor  especially  suffered  as  they  came  into 
subjection  to  the  richer  members  of  the  community. 
The  exceptional  occasion,  however,  demanded  excep- 
tional measures — the  existence  of  the  Empire,  yea  of 
the  nation,  was  at  stake,  and  individuals  could  not 
be  considered.  Many,  indeed,  gave  voluntarily  much 
more  than  the  obligatory  fifth,  and  one  woman,  a 
widow,  who  had  saved  12,000  roubles,  sent  10,000 
towards  the  cause. 

Everything  was  soon  organized,  and  to  everybody 
tasks  were  allotted  ;  powder  and  weapons  were  pre- 
pared, and  the  women  set  to  and  baked  rusks  for 
the  troops.  In  fact,  it  was  a  general  mobilization. 
Some  had  to  stay  behind  and  guard  the  cities,  while 
others  had  to  join  the  Field  Army. 

Prince  Pojarski  composed  a  letter  in  the  name  of 
the  people  of  Nijni-Novgorod,  copies  of  which  were 
sent  to  other  cities,  where  the  town-crier  called  the 
people  together,  and  in  the  churches  this  appeal  to 
mobilize  and  to  give  of  their  substance  was  read  to 
the  assembled  congregations.  "  Let  us  unite  and 
with  the  assistance  of  the  All  Merciful  God  go  against 
Poles  and  Lithuanians,  and  faithfully  consider  the 
welfare  of  our  Fatherland  and  not  acknowledge  either 
Vladislav  or  the  King  of  Sweden  as  our  Ruler,  nor 
any  other  foreigner."  In  most  cases  an  eager  response 
was  given  and  bodies  of  armed  men  began  to  flock 
to  Nijni-Novgorod.  There  Pojarski  himself  paid  for 
their  keep  and  Minin  paid  wages  according  to  what 
he  considered  a  man's  services  were  worth.  All, 
however,  who  possessed  private  means  refused  to  accept 
pay,  and  thus  only  the  hired  troops  received  wages. 


PATRIOTS   ALL  313 

While  these  military  preparations  were  going  on, 
the  clergy  were  encouraging  the  people,  and  public 
services  for  confession  of  sin  and  for  intercession  were 
being  held  everywhere.  The  Troitsa  Monastery  sent 
out  a  steady  flow  of  letters  and  appeals  reiterating  the 
urgency  for  the  nation  to  unite,  to  arise,  and  to  drive 
away  the  enemy. 

When  the  Poles  and  boyars  in  Moscow  heard  of 
the  action  of  the  people  of  Nijni-Novgorod,  the 
incarcerated  Patriarch  Hermogen  was  threatened  with 
death  unless  he  immediately  exercised  his  influence 
to  stop  the  rising  in  Nijni.  He  was  also  commanded 
to  urge  the  people  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  of 
the  Polish  Prince  Vladislav.  The  courageous  and 
faithful  Patriarch  refused  to  comply  with  these  orders. 
On  the  contrary,  instead  of  preventing  the  people 
from  arming,  he  gave  them  his  blessing  and  "  he 
was  sure  the  grace  of  God  would  be  with  them  ;  but 
on  traitors  the  wrath  of  God  would  fall  and  they 
would  fail  and  they  would  be  cursed  in  this  world 
and  the  next."  Thereupon  the  Patriarch  was  trans- 
ferred to  a  still  smaller  cell  where,  according  to 
contemporary  reports,  he  died  of  starvation  in  Feb- 
ruary 1612.  The  noble  patriot  and  unyielding  hero 
did  not  live  to  see  his  prayers  answered,  "  but  his 
works  followed  after." 

At  last  Prince  Pojarski  and  the  National  Army 
were  able  to  start  for  Moscow.  They  were  urged  on 
by  the  Archimandrite  Dionissi,  who  feared  lest  the 
Poles  might  send  reinforcements  ;  for  at  this  time 
only  small  bands  were  ravaging  the  country  and  the 
garrison  in  the  Kremlin  was  beginning  to  suffer 


3 14  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

want.  The  two  leaders,  the  Prince  and  the  Butcher, 
sent  messengers  before  them,  calling  upon  the  cities 
to  join  them  and  to  go  against  the  Poles  and  Lithu- 
anians in  the  strength  of  God.  The  response  was 
immediate,  and  even  the  few  towns  which  had  supported 
the  Pretender,  or  Vladislav,  soon  gave  in  to  the 
general  pressure.  A  united  nation  was  arising  to 
expel  the  enemy.  The  city  of  Yaroslav  outdid  the 
others  by  offering  her  entire  possessions  to  the 
National  Treasury,  and  from  all  over  the  country 
money  was  brought  to  Minin,  the  man  in  whom 
everybody  trusted  and  believed. 

It  was  Pojarski,  however,  who  signed  all  the  docu- 
ments, for  Minin  was  ignorant  of  writing.  The 
Prince  was  the  Commander-in-Chief,  and  also  wielded 
for  the  time  supreme  civic  power.  He  called  a  Zemski 
Sobor  to  decide  upon  the  election  of  a  new  Tsar,  for 
the  people  had  taken  an  oath  not  to  recognize  any 
foreign  prince,  neither  Vladislav  of  Poland,  nor  a 
prince  of  Sweden  whom  the  Novgorod  delegates 
were  proposing  as  candidate.  At  this  moment  some 
foreigners  offered  their  services  to  the  Russians, 
among  them  Captain  Margeret.  In  reply  to  this  the 
Zemski  Sobor  wrote  :  "  We  thank  you,  Sir  Captaines, 
for  your  zeal  for  our  fatherland  ;  we  shall  accept 
your  services  with  alacrity  should  the  enemy  over- 
power us  ;  at  present  however  there  is  no  need  for 
foreign  soldiers  or  leaders  ;  all  the  estate  of  the 
Russian  Empire  have  elected  Prince  Dmitri  Pojarski 
Starodubski  as  their  leader  for  civic  and  military 
matters,  because  of  his  wisdom,  honesty  and  courage. 
All  Russians  are  sacrificing  life  and  property  for  the 


PATRIOTS   ALL  315 

Orthodox  faith.  We  are  serving  the  fatherland  with- 
out pay,  we  are  fighting  with  untiring  energy  against 
the  foe,  we  are  defeating  the  Poles  and  are  cleansing 
the  Muscovite  Empire  of  them." 

This  Council  only  caused  quarrels  and  delay,  yet 
time  was  pressing,  and  from  the  Troitsa  Monastery 
came  urgent  letters  to  hurry  up  before  reinforcements 
could  come  to  the  besieged  Poles.  Pojarski  lacked  the 
gift  of  strenuous  leadership  and,  in  order  to  settle 
disputes,  the  Archimandrite  Dionissi  sent  the  retired 
Metropolitan  of  Rostov,  a  man  generally  honoured 
and  respected,  whose  mediation  was  accepted  by  the 
quarrelling  delegates. 

After  a  delay  of  several  months  in  Yaroslav,  the 
National  Army  left  that  city  for  Moscow,  and  on 
August  2Oth,  1612,  the  troops  joined  those  under  the 
command  of  Prince  Troubetzkoi.  The  leader  of  the 
besieging  army  (the  remains  of  Lyapounov's  militia) 
hailed  Pojarski  and  Minin  with  joy  ;  but  Zarouski,  the 
Cossack  leader,  did  so  hypocritically,  and  though 
ostensibly  friendly,  he  sent  an  assassin  to  kill  Pojarski. 
The  dastardly  plot,  however,  was  frustrated,  and  there- 
upon Zarouski  fled  with  the  worst  of  the  rabble. 

It  was  unfortunate  that  Pojarski  was  not  equal  to 
the  post  of  Commander-in-Chief.  He  made  various 
strategical  blunders,  and  into  the  bargain  distrusted  the 
Cossacks,  and  so  did  his  men,  for  they  remembered 
the  foul  murder  of  Lyapounov. 

The  new  army  stood  under  the  walls  of  Moscow, 
the  three  leaders,  Troubetzkoi,  Pojarski,  and  Minin, 
being  in  full  agreement.  The  besieging  forces, 
however,  were  kept  in  two  camps,  the  chief  body  of 


316  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

Cossacks    by  themselves    and  the  National    Army  by 
itself. 

Soon  after  the  new  army  under  Pojarski  had  joined 
the  besiegers,  a  large  relief  party  consisting  of  Lithuan- 
ian troops  approached,  bringing  with  it  much  provision 
for  the  besieged.  Their  leader  tried  to  force  his  way 
through  and,  simultaneously,  the  garrison  attempted  a 
sortie,  which  failed,  as  did  a  second  attempt  two  days 
later.  Minin  had  asked  and  had  received  permission 
of  Pojarski  to  lead  a  company  personally  against  the 
Polish  and  Lithuanian  soldiers,  whom  he  successfully 
defeated.  He  forced  the  Polish  commander  to  retreat ; 
the  latter,  however,  managed  to  send  word  to  the  be- 
sieged that  he  would  return  within  a  few  days  with  a 
large  army  and  relieve  them. 

Meanwhile,  quarrel  and  strife  broke  out  among  the 
Russian  leaders  and  the  armies  ;  the  Cossacks,  demanding 
higher  pay,  went  on  strike  and  refused  to  assist  the 
National  Army.  It  was  impossible  for  Minin  to  accede 
to  their  demand,  for  his  war-chest  was  depleted  and  the 
nation  impoverished.  Then  it  was  that  the  patriotic 
Archimandrite  of  the  Troitsa  Monastery  stepped  into 
the  breach.  He  sent  his  colleague,  the  priest  Palitsin, 
the  treasurer  of  the  monastery,  to  offer  to  the  strikers 
the  costly  vestments  of  his  church  as  a  pledge  of  future 
payment.  Palitsin  also  addressed  the  Cossacks  with 
fiery  oratory  and  diplomatic  cajolery  until  they  felt  not 
only  humbled  and  ashamed,  but  touched  by  the 
generosity  of  the  Archimandrite.  They  refused  to 
accept  the  proffered  vestments,  and  promised  not  to 
leave  Moscow  until  the  enemy  had  been  expelled  from 
within  its  sacred  walls, 


PATRIOTS  ALL  317 

Troubetzkoi  successfully  attacked  Kitaigorod,  the 
Poles  were  therefore  forced  to  seek  refuge  within  the 
Kremlin.  These  besieged  Poles  and  their  prisoners, 
the  Russian  boyars,  had  been  reduced  by  famine  to  the 
last  limit  of  endurance.  So  terrible  was  their  state 
that  human  corpses  were  devoured  by  the  famished 
garrison  ;  the  weaker  were  killed  by  the  stronger  and 
immediately  eaten,  or  their  flesh  pickled. 

Compelled  by  the  clamouring  of  the  garrison,  the 
Council  of  War  now  decided  upon  surrender,  while 
the  pro-Polish  Russians  begged  for  delay,  for  they 
dreaded  falling  into  the  hands  of  their  compatriots, 
who  would  not  have  any  pity  on  those  they  considered 
traitors  to  the  national  cause.  Their  urgent  pleading 
to  postpone  the  surrender  was  disregarded,  and  a 
humble  offer  of  capitulation  was  sent  to  Pojarski  and 
Minin.  Knowing  the  fierceness  of  the  Cossacks  they 
feared  their  "  tender  "  mercy.  A  petition  to  spare  the 
lives  of  the  Polish  leaders  was  drawn  up.  This  was 
generously  promised  them  by  Pojarski  and  Minin,  whose 
word  alone  they  trusted,  and  on  October  24th,  1612, 
the  gates  of  the  Kremlin  opened  and  a  pitiful  procession 
of  emaciated  Russian  boyars,  nobles  and  merchants 
marched  out.  Pojarski  rode  out  to  meet  them,  but  the 
Cossacks  yelled  :  "  These  traitors  must  be  killed  and 
their  property  divided  among  us."  It  was  an  anxious 
moment  for  all,  but  the  National  Army  refused  to 
listen  to  this  suggestion,  and  for  a  moment  it  seemed  as 
if  a  sanguinary  conflict  would  break  out  between  the 
allies.  Meanwhile,  on  the  bridge,  stood  speechless  and 
terror-stricken  a  little  band  of  Russian  ladies — the  last 
to  leave.  Justice  and  righteousness,  however,  won  the 


318  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

day  ;  though  the  Cossacks  continued  to  threaten  they 
stopped  at  that  and  then  withdrew. 

Those  Russians  who  had  against  their  will  been 
kept  within  Moscow  were  tenderly  looked  after  by 
their  countrymen.  On  October  25th,  the  gates  of 
the  Kremlin  were  opened  a  second  time — now  for  the 
Russian  troops  to  enter  in.  Before  them  marched  a 
procession,  headed  by  that  noble  patriot,  the  Archi- 
mandrite of  the  Troitsa  Monastery,  whose  heart  must 
have  been  filled  with  joy  inexpressible.  A  thanksgiving 
service  was  held  and  a  vow  made  to  erect  a  church  in 
memory  of  a  great  deliverance.  The  Poles  threw  away 
their  weapons  and  were  taken  captive  to  the  Russian 
camp.  All  their  property  was  divided  among  the 
Cossacks  as  overdue  pay,  but  these  lawless  men  did 
not  honour  the  oath  sworn  to  the  garrison  and  killed 
many  prisoners.  Those,  however,  who  had  surrendered 
to  Pojarski  and  the  National  Army  were  safe.  Their 
lives  were  spared,  but  they  were  sent  to  various  cities 
and  there  put  in  prison.  Popular  feeling  was  greatly 
aroused  against  them,  and  in  one  case  they  were  only 
saved  from  being  lynched  by  the  intercession  of  the 
mother  of  Prince  Pojarski. 

The  Polish  King,  when  he  heard  of  the  capitulation 
of  the  Kremlin,  could  not  believe  the  news.  He  sent 
two  members  of  the  Russian  Embassy,  whom  he  had 
kept  imprisoned  in  Poland,  to  urge  the  Russians  to 
disband  and  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  his  son. 
The  National  leaders,  however,  refused  even  to  discuss 
his  proposals,  for  the  time  had  gone  by  when  a  foreigner 
could  aspire  to  the  throne  of  Muscovy. 

By  Christmas  the  news  of  the  deliverance  of  Moscow 


PATRIOTS   ALL  319 

had  spread  all  over  Russia  ;  rejoicing  and  thanksgiving 
filled  the  heart  of  the  nation.  Moscow  was  delivered, 
but  what  the  country  now  required  was  a  lawful  ruler. 
Preparations  were  made  by  the  National  Council  to 
elect  a  Russian-born  Tsar.  Tradition  says  that  the 
crown  was  offered  to  Prince.  Pojarski,  but  that  this 
upright  man  declined  it  on  the  grounds  that  the 
Romanoffs,  relations  of  the  late  Tsar  Feodor  by  his 
mother's  side,  had  the  greatest  claim.  Unfortunately 
not  all  the  boyars  were  as  noble  as  Pojarski.  Intrigue 
was  rife  and  it  looked  as  though  the  defenders  of  the 
Fatherland  were  now- going  to  be  the  means  of  bringing 
more  disaster  and  ruin  upon  their  country.  Finally, 
however,  Mikhail  Romanoff,  the  young  son  of  the 
Metropolitan  Philaret  of  Rostov,  was  elected  Tsar. 
Thanksgiving  services  were  held  and  all,  beginning 
with  the  boyars  and  ending  with  the  Cossacks,  took  the 
oath  of  allegiance  and  promised  to  serve  him  and  to 
combat  his  foes  to  the  death. 

Reports  of  these  proceedings  were  circulated  all  over 
the  country,  but  in  the  meanwhile,  according  to  a 
legend,  danger  was  threatening  the  candidate  to  the 
throne.  The  Poles,  having  heard  of  the  unanimous 
election  of  Mikhail,  decided  to  kill  him,  but  "God  put 
a  wall  of  protection  around  the  boy — the  love  of  the 
people/'  Tradition  says  that  some  peasants  were 
arrested  by  the  Poles  who  were  on  the  look-out  for  a 
guide  to  conduct  them  to  the  country  residence  of  the 
Tsar-elect.  One  of  these  peasants,  Susanin  by  name, 
volunteered  to  do  so,  and  his  offer  was  accepted.  He 
had,  however,  secretly  sent  off  his  brother-in-law  to 
warn  the  intended  victim,  and  it  was  not  until  they 


320  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

found  themselves  in  deep  snow  in  an  almost  im- 
penetrable forest,  that  the  exhausted  soldiers  discovered 
that  they  had  been  trapped.  The  noble  peasant  paid 
for  his  loyalty  with  his  life,  and  the  memory  of  this 
legendary  patriot,  who  gave  his  "  life  for  the  Tsar," 
survives  in  song  and  story. 

In  Kostroma,  where  the  newly  elected  Tsar  had 
gone  to  join  his  mother,  a  deputation  waited  upon  him, 
and  with  great  solemnity  handed  him  the  official 
announcement  of  his  election.  The  proffered  rulership 
had,  however,  no  attraction  either  for  mother  or  son, 
who  had  no  confidence  in  the  wayward  loyalty  of  the 
boyars. 

The  envoys  did  their  utmost  to  convince  the 
mother  (whom  they  addressed,  her  son  being  a  minor) 
that  there  was  no  comparison  between  the  position  of 
her  son  and  that  of  the  last  three  Tsars,  u  for  it  is  not 
of  his  own  will  or  seeking,  but  by  the  will  of  the 
people  and  by  the  will  of  God  that  he  has  been  elected, 
and  if  he  refuses  to  accept  the  responsibility  he  will  be 
answerable  before  God  for  the  suffering  that  will  surely 
follow."  Finally  the  mother  gave  her  blessing  to 
her  son  and,  from  the  hands  of  the  Archbishop, 
Mikhail  Romanoff  accepted — sceptre  and  crown— 
the  symbols  of  sovereignty. 

The  condition  of  things  in  the  Empire  when  the 
young  Tsar  took  over  the  reins  of  government  were 
much  too  complicated  for  one  of  his  limited  capacity 
and  experience  to  handle  successfully.  His  statesman- 
like father,  who  afterwards  became  co-ruler,  was  still  a 
captive  ;  Mikhail  himself  was  not  a  born  leader,  and 
his  kindly  easy-going  nature  and  melancholic  tempera- 


PRESENTATION    OF   THE   CROWN    TO    MICHAEL   ROMANOFF. 


PATRIOTS   ALL 


321 


ment  made  him  a  prey  to  the  self-seeking  courtiers 
who  surrounded  him.  A  Dutch  contemporary  thus 
pathetically  describes  him  :  "  The  Tsar  was  like  the 
sun  hidden  behind  a  cloud,  therefore  the  land  of  Mus- 
covy enjoyed  neither  heat  nor  light."  Indeed,  the  sun 
had  to  pierce  very  heavy  clouds  before  it  shone  again 
upon  the  Russian  lands  ;  for  although  the  "  troublous 
times,"  as  historians  call  this  period  of  lawlessness,  of 
feuds  and  wars,  of  famine  and  death,  of  factions  within 
and  enemies  without  came  to  an  end,  and  the  un- 
happy people  breathed  more  freely,  it  was  only  very 
gradually  that  the  country  regained  the  prosperity 
which  peace,  and  peace  alone,  can  bring  about. 


CATHEDRAL  OF   THE   TRINITY   OF  THE   TROITSA-SERGEI    MONASTERY. 

Built  in  1423. 
Y 


CHAPTER   XIII 


THE    PROTOPOPE    AVVAKUM    AND    THE    BOYARYINIA 
MOROZOV 

HE  violence  of  the 
wind  had  abated,  the 
foaming  waves  of  po- 
litical life  had  well- 
nigh  spent  their  force, 
but  a  heavy  swell  still 
disturbed  the  troubled 
waters.  Some  fifty 
years  had  passed  since 
the  adventurous  Dmi- 
tri had  been  carried 

FIGURE   OF   PRIEST,    I7TH   CENTURY  a}ong  Qn  the    CTCSt  of   a 

gigantic  wave,  only  to  be  dashed  to  pieces  on  the  rocks  ; 
since  when  Cossacks,  robber-bands  and  rabble  of  all 
sorts  had  been  cast  up  on  the  storm-beaten  shore  of 
national  life.  Amongst  all  this  flotsam  and  jetsam 
were  also  a  few  priceless  pearls — those  good  men  and 
true  who  became  the  deliverers  of  their  Fatherland. 

The  clouds  which  still  hung  over  the  land  at  the 
commencement  of  the  new  regime  lifted  for  a  while 
when  the  Patriarch  Philaret,  the  good  and  wise  father 
of  the  mediocre  Mikhail,  took  the  co-rulership  of  the 
Empire  into  his  capable  hands. 

The  reign  of  the  first  Romanoff"  ruler  having 

322 


THE   BOYARYINIA    MOROZOV        323 

proved  beneficent,  it  naturally  followed  that  on  the 
death  of  the  Tsar  Mikhail  his  son  Alexei,  then  only 
sixteen  years  of  age,  succeeded  him.  Once  again  an 
immature  youth  became  nominal  head  of  the  State, 
while  the  real  power  was  wielded  by  a  strong  man,  the 
young  Tsar's  tutor  Morozov,  who  married  the  sister 
of  his  pupil's  v/ife.  In  his  capacity  of  brother- 
in-law  of  the  Tsar,  his  influence  greatly  increased. 
Alexei  Mikhailovitch,  whose  reign  coincides  with  the 
period  of  the  Commonwealth  and  of  the  Restoration  in 
England,  came  to  be  known  as  "that  most  gentle 
Tsar,"  although  it  was  in  his  time  that  the  people  of 
Russia  found  themselves  once  more  in  the  throes  of 
disruption.  This  time  the  trouble  did  not  come  as  a 
cyclone  or  even  as  a  storm,  nor  was  it  an  upheaval 
which  touched  merely  the  material  life  of  the  nation, 
but  rather  an  earthquake  cleaving  society  asunder  to 
its  very  foundation,  revealing  depths  of  spiritual  life 
and  opening  up  the  living  springs  of  religious  feeling. 

Among  the  numberless  martyrs  which  this  cleavage 
of  opinion  was  to  produce,  two  especially  stand  out  as 
shining  lights — a  man  and  a  woman,  the  lowly-born 
priest  Avvakum  and  the  lady  of  noble  birth,  the 
Boyaryinia  Morozov — both  deeply  religious  from  early 
youth  and  both  equally  uncompromising  in  their 
attitude  towards  everything  they  considered  false. 

With  the  coming  into  power,  in  1613,  of  the 
Romanoffs — the  contemporaries  of  the  Stuarts — a  new 
era  had  opened  up  for  Muscovy.  In  the  immediate 
entourage  of  the  Tsar  were  men  who  did  their  utmost 
to  bring  their  Fatherland  into  line  with  the  rest  of 
Europe  ;  they  desired  to  break  down  the  wall  of 


324  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

partition  between  Russia  and  Western  Europe,  but 
this  was  opposed  by  the  conservative  element  which 
objected  to  Polish  and  German  influence — indeed 
objected  to  the  very  presence  of  foreigners  in  their 
midst.  Yet,  in  spite  of  this,  the  influence  of  Western 
civilization  began  to  make  itself  felt,  especially  in  that 
circle  of  society  to  which  belonged  such  men  as  the 
cultured  and  refined  Artamon  Matveiev,  who  was 
married  to  a  Scottish  lady  nee  Hamilton,  Ordin 
Nashtchokin,  a  man  of  broad  views,  the  first  truly 
European  statesman  Muscovy  had,  and  the  Boyar 
Rtishtchev.  This  coterie  of  enlightened  aristocrats 
began  to  alter  the  intellectual  atmosphere  of  Moscow, 
and  it  was  greatly  due  to  them  that  European  cul- 
ture found  a  permanent  entrance  into  Russia.  They 
realized  that  more  was  wanted  from  Western  Europe 
than  merely  its  comforts  and  luxuries,  and  it  was  owing 
to  their  initiative  that  education  was  made  accessible  to 
the  young  generation  of  Russian  nobles. 

In  Kiev,  which  was  then  under  Polish  jurisdiction, 
education  according  to  Western  standards  was  already 
flourishing,  and  it  was  there  that  the  energetic  and 
enterprising  Boyar  Rtishtchev  found  men  who  were 
able  and  willing  to  establish  centres  of  intellectual  light 
in  his  own  dark  Muscovy. 

Two  men  became  the  leaders  of  this  movement— 
the  cultured  monks  :  Slavinitski,  who  founded  in  Mos- 
cow the  Grasco-Latin  Slavonic  College,  where  "the 
wisdom  of  the  Greeks  "  as  well  as  Latin,  Rhetoric  and 
the  principles  of  theology  were  taught  ;  and  Simon 
Polotski,  a  writer  of  religious  as  well  as  secular  drama, 
in  every  respect  a  versatile  and  cultured  man.  The 


THE   BOYARYINIA   MOROZOV        325 

subjects  taught  in  the  college  were  new  to  the  Russians, 
whose  knowledge  in  the  seventeenth  century  with 
regard  to  most  subjects  seems  to  have  been  extremely 
limited.  Captain  Margaret  draws  attention  to  this  in 
one  of  his  writings  in  which  he  says  :  "  So  great  is  the 
ignorance  of  the  Muscovites  that  not  a  third  of  them 
can  be  found  who  even  know  the  Pater  Noster  and  the 
Credo.  It  is  safe  to  say  of  the  masses  that  their  ignor- 
ance is  the  mother  of  their  piety  ;  they  despise  learning 
and  especially  Latin.  They  have  no  schools,  no  uni- 
versities, and  the  only  teaching  is  done  by  priests  who 
instruct  youths  in  reading  and  writing,  and  only  a  very 
few  do  that." 

The  two  priests  from  Kiev,  who  had  come  in  answer 
to  the  warm  invitation  of  Rtishtchev,  were  not  slow 
in  pointing  out  that  the  ceremonial  of  the  Muscovite 
Church  was  full  of  errors  and  inaccuracies,  which  they 
put  down  to  the  ignorance  of  the  clergy,  of  whom 
Fletcher  had  written  that  they  were  "voyde  of  all 
manner  of  learning,  so  are  they  warie  to  keepe  out  all 
means  that  might  bring  any  in  as  fearing  to  have  their 
ignorance  discovered.  ..." 

The  Russian  priests  from  the  Ukraina  or  "  Little 
Russia  "  differed  in  many  ways  from  their  Muscovite 
brethren  ;  for  instance,  they  made  the  sign  of  the 
Cross  with  three  fingers  instead  of  with  two,  as  was 
customary  in  Great  Russia  at  that  period  ;  the  way 
in  which  they  read  the  prayers  was  different,  also  they 
preached  sermons,  a  thing  hitherto  unheard  of,  and,  in 
support  of  these  practices,  they  cited  the  authority  both 
of  the  Byzantine  Church,  and  of  Little  Russia. 

The  observant  English  Ambassador  remarks  on  this 


326  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

absence  of  preaching :  "  As  for  preaching,"  he  writes, 
"  the  words  of  God,  or  any  teaching  or  exhorting  such 
as  are  under  them,  they  neyther  use  it  nor  have  any 
skill  of  it  ;  the  whole  clergie  beyng  utterlie  unlearned, 
both  for  other  knowledge  and  in  the  word  of  God." 

The  newcomers  considered  the  Muscovite  Church 
as  having  fallen  away  from  the  true  faith,  while  the 
Muscovites,  on  their  side,  considered  the  Kievites  little 
better  than  Poles  or  Roman  Catholics.  In  fact,  in  the 
eyes  of  all  the  people  of  Great  Russia,  the  guardianship 
of  the  true  Faith  had  long  since  passed  from  Byzantium 
to  Moscow  ;  no  longer  was  it  Santa  Sophia  of  Constan- 
tinople but  the  Uspenski  Sobor  of  Moscow  that  was 
their  centre  of  orthodoxy.  Apart  from  this,  the  view 
was  generally  held  that  "  each  people  has  its  own 
fatherland  and  its  own  laws,  which  are  better  not 
transferred  to  other  countries." 

A  foreigner  then  residing  in  Moscow  writes  apropos 
of  this  exclusiveness  :  "  The  Russians  would  sooner  die 
than  let  their  children  go  into  foreign  lands  unless 
coerced  by  the  Tsar.  They  believe  that  Russia  is  the 
only  Christian  Empire,  that  all  other  lands  are  inhabited 
by  pagans — unbaptized  people  who  do  not  believe 
in  the  true  God,  and  that  the  souls  of  their  children 
would  be  for  ever  lost  if  they  were  to  die  in  a  strange 
country  amongst  unbelievers  ;  that  those  who  die  in 
their  own  homeland  go  direct  to  Paradise,  and  that 
such  seclusion  was  imperative  in  order  to  keep  people 
out  of  danger  of  contamination." 

Bitter  antagonism  sprang  up  between  the  Kievite 
monks  and  the  cathedral  clergy  of  Moscow,  or  Proto- 
popes,  who  had  set  themselves  the  task  of  revising  the 


THE   BOYARY1NIA  MOROZOV        327 

ceremonial.  Both  parties  had  the  same  object  at 
heart — the  reformation  of  the  Church,  but  although 
having  the  same  end  in  view  they  worked  from  different 
starting-points.  The  Muscovite  Protopopes  went  back 
to  Russian  antiquity,  the  Kievite  monks  to  universal 
antiquity,  and  a  clash  became  inevitable. 

Slavinitski  and  Polotski  believed  in  the  efficacy  of 
science  and  education  and  in  the  necessity  of  acquaint- 
ance with  Western  thought.  They  urged  the  study  of 
history  in  order  to  find  out  what  practices  were  uni- 
versal and  would  thus  help  to  solve  knotty  problems. 
The  Protopopes,  on  the  contrary,  turned  their  backs 
in  disgust  upon  all  such  innovations  ;  faith  alone  was 
sufficient,  knowledge  was  dangerous.  As  to  the  study 
of  church  history,  they  were  satisfied  with  that  contained 
in  their  own  ecclesiastical  literature,  and  in  the  Lives  of 
the  Saints.  What  could  they  learn  from  the  experience 
of  other  Churches  ? 

At  the  commencement  the  antagonism  between 
these  two  schools  of  thought  was  purely  academic,  but 
when  the  new  Patriarch  Nikon  actually  altered  the 
ceremonial,  open  war  broke  out.  As  Metropolitan  of 
Novgorod,  Nikon  had  been  a  zealous  member  of  the 
Muscovite  Reform  Party  ;  but,  unfortunately,  he  was 
of  too  ambitious  and  autocratic  a  nature  to  ask  the 
assistance  of  his  old  friends,  and  decided  to  carry  out 
the  reforms  unaided.  He  was,  moreover,  rapidly 
changing  his  views,  for,  as  a  result  of  his  intercourse 
with  Greek  ecclesiastics  on  matters  of  ritual  and  the 
customs  of  the  Eastern  Churches,  doubts  had  arisen  in 
his  mind  as  to  the  soundness  of  his  former  position. 
Such  doubts  inclined  him  to  listen  to  Slavinitski,  in 


328  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

whom  common  sense,  sound  learning,  and  true  spiritu- 
ality were  harmoniously  blended.  From  being  an 
opponent  of  this  learned  monk,  Nikon  soon  became  his 
friend,  and  having  adopted  his  point  of  view,  he  decided 
to  bring  the  experience  of  the  Universal  Church  to  bear 
upon  that  of  Russia.  With  regard  to  the  making  of  the 
sign  of  the  Cross,  he  discovered  that  it  was  the  using 
of  two  fingers  which  was  contrary  to  universal  practice 
and  therefore  an  innovation  even  in  Russia.  He  also 
carefully  compared  the  MSS.  in  the  Patriarchal  Library 
with  ancient  Greek  and  Slavonic  MSS.,  and  found  only 
too  many  discrepancies  between  them.  He  made 
Slavinitski  head  of  the  Imperial  printing  establishment, 
discharged  all  the  professional  correctors  of  books  and 
instituted  a  Commission  of  Revision  in  their  stead. 

All  this  branded  Nikon  as  a  traitor  in  the  eyes  of 
his  former  friends.  They  called  him  a  renegade  and 
heretic,  for  not  only  had  he  made  common  cause  with 
those  whom  he  had  shortly  before  accused  of  heresy, 
but  was  he  not  even  now  ready  to  introduce  into  the 
Church  on  his  own  account  those  very  things  which 
he  had  so  recently  condemned  ? 

The  hearts  of  the  eager  and  sincere  but  ignorant 
Protopopes  grew  heavy  with  apprehension.  That  their 
fears  were  not  groundless  became  apparent  only  too 
soon.  During  the  Lent  of  1653,  the  Patriarch  issued 
an  order  that  from  henceforth  certain  customary  pros- 
trations were  to  be  omitted  on  Quadragesima  Sunday, 
and  that  the  sign  of  the  Cross  was  always  to  be  made 
with  three  fingers.  The  Conservative  party  of  "  Old 
Believers  " —or  "  Old  Ritualists/'  as  they  came  to  be 
called  on  account  of  their  passionate  adherence  to 


THE   BOYARYINIA   MOROZOV       329 

Muscovite  traditions — feeling  that  this  was  but  the  thin 
edge  of  the  wedge,  immediately  drew  up  a  protest, 
which  they  sent  to  the  Tsar.  The  Tsar,  however,  who 
was  absolutely  under  the  influence  of  the  Patriarch, 
took  no  notice  of  it. 

Undaunted  by  this  discouragement,  and  strengthened 
by  the  conviction  that  theirs  was  a  righteous  cause 
and  that  the  foundations  of  their  religion  were  being 
shaken,  these  Old  Believers  refused  to  comply  with 
the  new  order,  and  as  at  first  no  measures  were  taken 
to  enforce  it,  it  seemed  as  though  they  would  carry 
the  day.  Nikon,  however,  was  merely  biding  his  time ; 
he  could  not  forgive  his  former  friends  for  thus  flout- 
ing his  authority,  and  very  soon  war,  bitter  and 
obdurate,  broke  out  between  the  two  parties,  "  No 
compromise "  being  the  watchword  of  both.  The 
points  on  which  they  differed  were  really  trifling  in 
themselves,  and  the  bitterest  strife  was  waged  about 
such  minutiae  as  the  crossing  with  three  fingers  instead 
of  with  two  fingers,  or  as  the  repetition  of  "  O  Lord, 
have  mercy "  instead  of  "  Lord,  have  mercy,"  the 
repetition  of  three  Hallelujahs  instead  of  two,  and  the 
spelling  of  the  name  of  Jesus — lissus  instead  of  Issus. 
As  to  signing  oneself  with  the  Cross,  that  was  a  part 
of  their  very  natures,  of  every  act  of  daily  life  ;  only 
when  this  is  realized  can  we  understand  the  intensity 
of  feeling  aroused  by  the  alteration  commanded. 

The  position  of  the  Nikonians  had  been  immensely 
strengthened  by  the  pronouncements  of  the  Patriarch  of 
Antioch  and  the  Metropolitan  of  Nicea,  both  of  whom 
attended  the  Council  called  by  Nikon.  The  Patriarch 
of  Antioch  had  made  the  following  statement  regarding 


330  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

the  manner  of  making  the  sign  of  the  Cross  :  "  We 
have  from  the  beginning  accepted  the  faith  as  handed 
down  to  us  by  the  Holy  Apostles  and  by  the  Fathers, 
and  as  confirmed  by  the  CEcumenical  Councils,  which 
includes  the  tradition  that  the  sign  of  the  Cross  must 
be  made  with  the  thumb  and  two  first  fingers  of  the 
right  hand,  and  if  any  orthodox  Christian  doeth  not 
this  according  to  the  tradition  of  the  Eastern  Church, 
which  has  been  since  the  beginning  of  the  world,  he 
is  a  heretic  .  .  .  and  we  count  the  same  to  be  excom- 
municated from  the  Father,  the  Son  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  to  be  anathema."  To  this  the  Metropolitan 
of  Nicea  added  the  words  :  "  Upon  him  who  doth  not 
cross  himself  with  three  fingers  rests  the  curse  of  the 
380  holy  Fathers  who  gathered  at  the  Council  of  Nicea 
and  other  Councils." 

Nikon  and  his  party,  who  were  supported  by  the 
Tsar,  speedily  became  the  persecutors,  and  the  Old 
Believers,  obstinate  nonconformists  to  new  regulations, 
became  the  persecuted.  Nikon's  opportunity  to  make 
his  power  felt  came  only  too  soon.  One  of  his  antago- 
nists was  falsely  accused  of  irreverence  to  a  sacred 
ikon,  whereupon  the  Patriarch  called  a  Council,  in 
order  to  give  an  air  of  legality  to  the  proceedings,  and 
had  him  condemned  and  sentenced  to  severe  punish- 
ment. This  opened  the  breach  all  the  wider  :  the 
laity  stepped  in,  siding  almost  to  a  man  with  the  Old 
Believers  against  those  whom  they  felt  to  be  under- 
mining their  religion.  They  were  convinced  that, 
although  these  reforms  seemed  only  to  concern  out- 
ward forms,  they  were  in  reality  a  subtle  attack  on 
the  inward  spirit. 


THE   BOYARYINIA   MOROZOV        331 

The  first  victim  of  the  persecution  which  now  broke 
out  was  the  Tsar's  confessor,  Neronov,  who  was  sent 
into  exile,  with  the  result  that  some  of  the  more  timid 
began  to  think  of  compromise,  while  others  became 
bolder.  It  was  at  this  juncture,  however,  that  the  Old 
Believers  found  a  leader  in  the  person  of  the  Proto- 
pope  Avvakum,  a  man  of  blameless  life,  renowned  for 
his  piety,  spiritual  power  and  strength  of  conviction  ; 
one  whose  heart  was  on  fire  for  the  truth,  and  who 
possessed  to  a  remarkable  degree  the  gift  of  oratory. 

It  seemed  an  almost  hopeless  task  to  bring  about  an 
understanding  between  the  leaders  of  the  two  parties. 
On  one  occasion,  after  a  heated  argument,  the  learned 
Polotski  is  reported  to  have  said  about  Avvakum  : 
"  He  has  a  great  natural  intelligence,  but  no  under- 
standing whatever  of  Science,"  while  Avvakum  pointed 
out  the  impossibility  of  coming  to  any  agreement  with 
the  Kievites,  saying  :  "  He  looks  to  find  wisdom  in 
intellectual  controversy — I  seek  it  in  tears  and  with 
prayers  at  the  feet  of  Christ." 

After  Nikon  had  issued  his  order  which  changed  the 
ritual,  Avvakum  boldly  stepped  forward  and  denounced 
the  Patriarch  from  the  pulpit.  Soon  after,  he  was 
banished  to  Siberia,  where  he  spent  years  of  terrible 
suffering  at  the  hands  of  a  certain  Pashkov,  the  ruth- 
less and  brutal  Governor  of  Dauria.  Ten  years  later 
he  was  enabled  to  return  to  Moscow,  having  been 
recalled  by  order  of  the  Tsar.  The  "  gentle  and  most 
pious  Tsar  "  not  only  respected  the  fearless  Protopope, 
but  was  genuinely  attached  to  him.  On  his  return 
from  exile,  Avvakum  lived  in  peace  and  quiet  within 
the  walls  of  the  Kremlin,  frequently  receiving  signs  of 


332  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

favour  from  the  Tsar.  It  was  at  this  time  that  Avvakum 
made  the  acquaintance  of  the  woman  who  was  to 
become  his  best  known  disciple  and  later  fellow-martyr. 
This  was  the  Boyaryinia  Feodosia  Morozov,  the  young 
sister-in-law  of  the  Tsar's  powerful  minister,  and  hence 
a  connection  of  the  Tsaritsa. 

Avvakum  still  hoped  that  there  would  be  a  return 
to  the  "  Old  Way,"  and  he  again  petitioned  the  Tsar 
to  return  to  the  Old  Belief,  but  without  success,  and 
then  he  began  to  preach  against  those  he  considered 
heretics.  The  ecclesiastical  authorities,  especially  the 
Patriarch,  began  to  complain  of  the  zealous  priest's 
activities.  They  contended  that  he  was  leading  the 
masses  astray.  His  repeated  petitions  to  the  Tsar 
and  attacks  on  opponents  naturally  led  to  renewed 
persecution,  and  in  the  year  1669,  half  a  year  only 
after  his  return  to  Moscow,  he  was  once  more  sent 
into  banishment — this  time  to  the  prison  of  Pustozersk, 
situated  not  far  from  the  shores  of  the  Kara  Sea. 

When  only  seventeen  years  of  age,  Feodosia,  the 
eldest  daughter  of  the  Boyar  Sokovnin,  had  been 
married  to  Gleb  Morozov.  The  old  Boyar  Morozov 
loved  the  charming  wife  of  his  younger  brother,  and 
the  pious  Feodosia  found  a  real  friend  in  the  Tsar's 
former  tutor,  whom  the  new  intellectual  movement 
had  left  untouched.  He  was  deeply  attached  to  his 
sister-in-law,  who  loved  to  converse  with  him  about 
spiritual  matters,  and  she  found  in  him  a  ready  and 
sympathetic  listener  on  the  topics  so  dear  to  the  earnest- 
minded  young  wife.  When  very  little  over  twenty 
years  of  age  Feodosia  lost  her  husband,  after  only  a 
few  years  of  happy  marriage,  and,  in  accordance  with 


THE   BOYARYINIA    MOROZOV        333 

custom,  the  widow  carried  on  the  management  of  the 
estate  on  behalf  of  her  little  son.  The  Boyaryinia,  on 
account  of  her  rank,  held  an  important  position  at 
Court,  and  was  also  an  intimate  friend  of  the  Tsaritsa. 
In  her  own  home  she  had  a  retinue  of  three  hundred 
servants  :  she  used  to  drive  about  in  a  carriage  made 
of  silver,  inlaid  with  mosaic,  and  drawn  by  six  or  even 
twelve  horses  :  behind  her  carriage  walked  never  less 
than  one  hundred — sometimes  two  or  three  hundred — 
serfs,  both  male  and  female,  "  to  guard  her  honour  and 
her  life." 

All  this  pomp  and  show,  incumbent  upon  one  in 
her  position,  had  no  effect  on  the  inner  life  of  Feo- 
dosia,  who  had  early  learned  to  place  a  right  value  on 
all  such  outward  things,  and  after  her  husband's  death 
she  began  to  withdraw  herself  from  the  noisy  tumult 
of  Court  life  and  to  seek  comfort  and  solace  in  religious 
exercises. 

In  those  days  religion  was  observed  rather  in  the 
letter  than  in  the  spirit,  Christianity  consisting  chiefly 
of  a  rigid  observance  of  ceremonial,  yet  works  of  charity 
and  acts  of  mercy  were  also  looked  upon  as  essentials 
by  those  who  truly  loved  God,  and  to  these  belonged 
the  widow  of  Gleb  Morozov.  It  was  in  1664,  after 
his  return  from  exile,  that  she  came  under  the  influence 
of  Avvakum's  powerful  personality.  Her  ardent  soul 
responded  instinctively  to  his  preaching  ;  she  readily 
accepted  his  teaching  and  adopted  his  attitude  of  un- 
compromising refusal  to  conform  to  the  new  order  of 
things  introduced  by  Nikon. 

In  order  to  do  justice  to  the  heroism  of  all  who 
suffered  during  that  period  for  their  faith,  it  is  neces- 


334  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

sary  to  enter  into  the  spirit  of  those  days  with  its 
intense  conservatism  and  horror  of  all  innovations  ; 
otherwise  they  would  seem  to  have  wasted  their  lives 
for  the  mere  sake  of  externals  of  worship. 

When  it  became  known  that  the  Boyaryinia  Morozov 
had  definitely  thrown  in  her  lot  with  the  Old  Believers, 
two  influential  ecclesiastics  were  sent  to  the  widow  to 
try  and  convince  her  of  the  error  of  her  ways,  but 
nothing  could  shake  her  loyalty  to  the  teaching  of  her 
"  Spiritual  Father."  In  punishment  for  this  obstinacy 
she  was  deprived  of  her  patrimonial  estate,  and  it  was 
only  due  to  the  Tsaritsa's  intercession  on  her  behalf 
that  she  was  let  off  so  easily.  From  this  time  forward 
she  appeared  less  and  less  frequently  at  Court,  con- 
tenting herself  with  the  society  of  a  few  like-minded 
friends.  The  loss  of  her  estates  did  not  seem  to 
trouble  her  greatly,  for  Avvakum's  ideals  of  asceticism 
found  in  her  a  ready  response.  The  Boyaryinia  was 
one  of  the  few  to  live  out  the  ideals  of  Sylvester  as 
taught  in  his  Domostroi :  "  The  lady  of  the  house  must 
set  a  good  example,  must  organize  the  work  of  the 
household  and  must  herself  understand  every  kind  of 
needlework  and  cookery  and  see  that  nothing  is  wanting 
in  her  store-cupboard." 

Of  his  spiritual  daughter,  Avvakum  gives  the 
following  description  :  "  She  kept  law  and  order  in  her 
household,  inquired  personally  into  the  needs  of  her 
serfs,  ruling  some  with  the  stick  and  others  with  love 
and  pity.  She  often  used  to  sit  down  and  weave  the 
linen  which  she  afterwards  made  into  shirts  for  the 
poor.  In  the  evening,  disguised  in  shabby  garments, 
she  would  walk  about  the  streets  of  Moscow,  accom- 


THE   BOYARYINIA   MOROZOV        335 

panied  by  her  faithful  attendant,  distributing  these 
shirts  amongst  the  poor.  She  also  paid  secret  visits 
to  prisons  and  almshouses,  bringing  gifts  of  money 
and  clothing.  Many  a  man  she  saved  from  imprison- 
ment by  paying  up  his  mortgage  when  it  had  fallen 
due."  Indeed,  the  following  words  of  Sylvester  might 
well  have  been  written  for  her  :  "  It  is  good  to  meet 
such  women,  not  merely  for  the  sake  of  eating  and 
drinking  with  them,  but  to  hear  their  elevating  con- 
versation, which  is  profitable  to  the  soul."  In  her 
household,  many  a  cc  Yurodivyi  "  or  "  Natural " 
half-witted  person — received  hospitality,  for  such  in 
those  days  were  considered  "  blessed."  Homeless 
wanderers,  they  were  treated  by  everyone  with  respect 
and  even  reverence.  On  account  of  their  cryptic  say- 
ings they  exercised  great  influence  over  the  common 
people,  who  believed  them  to  be  endowed  with  pro- 
phetic powers  ;  while  they  called  forth  pity  by  their 
melancholia,  they  also  caused  great  amusement  by  their 
queer  humours. 

It  was  these  "  Naturals "  who  became  the  best 
propagandists  of  the  "  schism,"  travelling  as  they  did 
through  the  length  and  breadth  of  Russia.  They 
carried  the  news  of  the  attack  on  the  "  Old  Faith " 
and  of  those  innovations  which  were  looked  upon 
by  Avvakum  and  his  followers  as  signs  of  the 
approach  of  Antichrist.  Two  of  the  most  famous 
of  these  "  blessed  ones,"  Feodor  and  Cyprian,  with 
whose  zeal  and  asceticism  even  exacting  Avvakum 
was  deeply  impressed,  lived  for  some  time  in  the 
house  of  the  Boyaryinia.  He  wrote  of  them  : 
"  During  the  day  they  talked  foolishly,  but  they 


336  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

spent  their  nights  in  prayer  and  tears  :  one  of  them 
would  stand  perhaps  five  hours  and  weep,  or,  after 
many  hours  spent  in  prayer,  would  make  one  thou- 
sand prostrations.  The  other  mortified  his  flesh  by 
braving  the  frost  and  snow  of  five  winters,  going  bare- 
foot and  wearing  nothing  but  a  linen  shirt.  Avvakum, 
on  his  return  journey  from  Siberia,  had  met  Feodor 
and  shown  him  one  of  the  revised  prayer  books. 
The  fool,  snatching  the  book  out  of  his  hand  and 
flinging  it  into  the  heated  oven,  cursed  the  innova- 
tions ;  for,  as  the  exile  Protopope  puts  it,  "  he  had  a 
red-hot  faith  in  Christ." 

From  that  time  Feodor  became  an  ardent  follower 
of  Avvakum,  whom  he  accompanied  to  Moscow  ;  and 
it  was  probably  through  the  latter  that  he  was  intro- 
duced to  the  Boyaryinia. 

The  other  Yorodivyi,  Cyprian,  was  well  known  to 
the  Tsar  and  was  welcomed  in  many  boyar  families  ; 
he  openly  wept  for,  and  bemoaned  the  downfall  of 
the  Old  Faith  and  frequently  ran  beside  the  carriage 
of  the  Tsar,  pleading  with  him  to  abolish  the  innova- 
tions. So  publicly  and  fearlessly  did  Cyprian  attack 
the  Patriarch,  that  he  was  first  incarcerated  in  a  monas- 
tery and  then  banished  to  the  far  northern  prison  of 
Pustozersk  on  the  estuary  of  the  Petchora,  but  the 
outspoken  words  of  this  ardent  opponent  of  reform 
were  only  silenced  when,  by  order  of  the  Tsar,  he 
was  put  to  death. 

The  Boyaryinia  always  gladly  welcomed  strangers, 
and  many  monks  and  nuns,  fugitives  from  persecution 
for  their  refusal  to  conform  to  the  new  ritual,  were 
tenderly  cared  for  by  her.  In  truly  apostolic  fashion 


THE   BOYARYINIA   MOROZOV        337 

she  "  washed  the  feet  of  the  saints,'*  and  did  it  all 
so  graciously  that  when  feeding  the  hungry  she 
would  herself  partake  of  the  meals  set  before  her 
poor  guests. 

As  time  went  on,  the  house  of  this  great  lady 
became  more  like  a  monastic  establishment  than  a 
private  house,  thus  once  more  fulfilling  the  ideal  of 
Sylvester  who  would  have  liked  every  home  to  be 
run  on  those  lines.  The  religious  rules  which  she 
introduced  with  regard  to  nocturnal  prayer  were 
encouraged  by  Avvakum  who,  from  his  exile,  wrote 
to  her  :  "  Lady  !  Light  of  mine  eyes  !  I  love  the 
rules  for  vigils  of  the  night ;  shouldst  thou  be  lazy, 
however,  and  fail  to  carry  them  out,  see  that  thou 
chasteneth  thy  flesh  next  day  by  abstaining  from  food, 
for  the  soul  is  not  a  toy  to  be  played  with  or  to  be 
deadened  with  fleshly  indulgence."  All  his  injunctions 
were  carefully  carried  out  by  her. 

After  Avvakum  had  been  banished  from  Moscow, 
Feodosia  used  to  go  and  hear  the  fiery  sermons  of 
another  famous  Old  Believer,  to  whom  the  people 
flocked  in  crowds.  When  he  was  banished,  many 
of  his  congregation  followed  him  to  the  Cyrillo- 
Byelozersk  Monastery,  where  he  was  kept  a  prisoner 
for  twelve  years.  It  was  this  monk  who  put  the 
Boyaryinia  into  touch  with  the  lady  Melania,  a  nun 
of  noble  birth  who  became  her  friend.  She  was  as 
much  the  heart  of  the  circle  of  the  Old  Believers  as 
Avvakum  was  the  brain.  From  his  place  of  captivity 
Avvakum  wrote  many  letters  to  the  Old  Believers 
in  Moscow  and  especially  to  Melania,  who  became 
the  medium  of  communication  between  the  outer 


338  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

world  and  himself.  It  was  she  who  tenderly  cared 
for  his  bodily  needs,  sending  him  those  necessaries  of 
life  which  enabled  him  to  keep  alive.  Less  daring 
and  provocative  than  he,  she  was  better  able  to  serve 
the  Old  Ritualists,  now  considered  schismatics  by  the 
ecclesiastical  authorities. 

It  was  she  who  carried  on  the  work  begun  by 
Avvakum  in  the  strong  and  true  heart  of  Feodosia, 
and  it  was  due  to  the  nun's  influence  that  the  lighter, 
brighter  side  of  life  was  gradually  pushed  into  the 
background  and  that  a  strain  of  fanaticism  became 
apparent  in  the  future  martyr. 

One  of  the  many  friends  of  the  Boyaryinia  was 
the  Boyar  Rtishtchev  in  whose  house  the  representa- 
tives of  the  contending  parties  met  for  discussions 
which  developed  into  endless  and  fruitless  contro- 
versies. Gentle  and  conciliatory  by  nature,  the  Boyar 
Rtishtchev  was  deeply  grieved  at  the  widening  of 
the  breach  between  the  Kievite  monks  and  the  Old 
Believers.  He,  therefore,  did  his  utmost  to  restrain 
the  Boyaryinia  from  going  to  extremes,  pleading  with 
her  to  make  the  sign  of  the  Cross  with  three  fingers. 
He  tried  to  make  her  realize  how  much  lighter  and 
easier  her  life  could  be  if  only  she  would  dissociate 
herself  from  the  party  to  which  she  now  adhered  so 
strongly.  The  old  Boyar  knew  better  than  she  did 
to  what  danger  she  was  exposing  herself  by  publicly 
championing  the  banished  Avvakum  :  "  Dost  thou 
realize  that  the  man  for  whose  teaching  thou  art  ready 
to  die  has  been  cursed  by  our  Hierarchy  ? "  To  this 
impassioned  outburst,  the  lady  sweetly  made  reply  : 
"  Thou  art  mistaken,  dear  Uncle,  in  that  thou  callest 


THE   BOYARYINIA   MOROZOV        339 

the  bitter  sweet  and  the  sweet  bitter :  Father  Avvakum 
is  a  true  disciple  of  Christ  and  therefore  those  who 
desire  to  please  God  must  needs  listen  to  his  teaching." 

In  course  of  time  this  unyielding  attitude  on  her  part 
created  a  barrier  between  Feodosia  and  her  relations. 
The  Boyar  Rtishtchev's  daughter  Anna,  however,  still 
tried  to  win  the  Boyaryinia  over,  and  implored  her 
not  to  set  herself  up  in  opposition  to  the  Tsar,  re- 
minding her  of  what  it  would  mean  to  her  son  if 
all  her  possessions  were  confiscated — a  highly  probable 
eventuality  if  she  persisted  in  angering  the  Tsar.  But 
the  friend's  pleading  was  in  vain  :  "  Much  as  I  love 
my  son,  and  dear  as  is  all  that  concerns  his  welfare, 
I  love  Christ  still  better  and  dare  not,  even  for  the 
sake  of  my  only  son,  do  what  I  know  to  be  wrong." 
So  saying,  Feodosia  crossed  herself  with  two  fingers. 

She  was  ready  to  "  endure  the  loss  of  all  things  " 
for  Christ's  sake,  and  Avvakum's  letters  confirmed  her 
in  this  attitude.  "  Let  us  patiently  endure  whatsoever 
the  Nikonians  may  do  to  us,"  he  wrote  ;  "  let  us 
rejoice,  for  in  Christ  is  our  joy.  Now  we  see  through 
a  glass  darkly,  but  then  face  to  face  ;  here  we  have 
prison  and  stake,  axe  and  gallows — there  the  song  of 
the  angels,  glory,  praise,  honour  and  eternal  joy  ... 
bitter  is  our  winter  on  earth,  but  sweet  will  it  be  in 
Paradise  ;  painful  is  endurance,  but  blessed  is  healing. 
Let  not  your  hearts  be  troubled,  neither  let  them  be 
afraid — as  faithful  soldiers  of  Christ,  bravely  face  the 
fire  and  suffer  cheerfully  for  His  sake  and  in  defence 
of  the  ancient  Sacred  Books."  His  admonitions  fell 
upon  prepared  soil.  Many  letters  of  similar  import 
were  sent  by  the  faithful  Shepherd  in  exile  to  his 


340  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

persecuted  flock  in  Moscow,  whom  he  addressed  as  : 
"  My  precious,  my  blessed  ones  !  "  for  this  stern 
warrior  for  the  faith  had  a  very  tender  heart. 

The  Boyaryinia  deeply  influenced  her  only  sister 
Eudoxia,  Princess  Ouroussov,  and  the  faith  so  dear 
to  both  strengthened  the  bond  of  love  between  them. 
In  spite  of  their  prejudice,  both  ladies  continued  to 
attend  church  for  the  sake  of  appearance.  This  went 
on  for  many  years,  for  after  the  first  futile  attempt 
to  coerce  her,  the  Boyaryinia,  although  in  disfavour, 
was  left  in  peace,  the  Tsar  being  opposed  to  violent 
measures  and  the  Tsaritsa  being  deeply  attached  to 
the  saintly  widow. 

During  the  minority  of  her  son  Feodosia  had  felt 
it  incumbent  upon  her,  as  steward  and  guardian  of 
his  property,  to  restrain  her  personal  inclinations  ;  but 
when  he  came  of  age  she  considered  herself  free 
to  take  the  step  she  had  contemplated  for  so  many 
years,  namely,  to  refrain  altogether  from  attending  the 
"  unorthodox  "  Court,  where,  owing  to  her  rank  and 
position,  she  had  hitherto  been  obliged  to  play  a 
prominent  part.  Her  desire  was  to  give  herself  up 
wholly  to  the  religious  life — her  intention  being  to  take 
secretly  the  monastic  vows  and  then  still  to  remain, 
with  the  nuns  to  whom  she  had  given  shelter,  in  her 
own  home.  Her  more  prudent  friend  and  adviser, 
Melania,  strongly  disapproved  of  this  step  :  "It  can- 
not be  kept  secret,"  she  urged,  "  and  when  the  Tsar 
hears  of  it,  there  will  undoubtedly  be  inquiries  and 
it  will  certainly  bring  trouble  upon  those  who  have 
shriven  thee,  and  to  leave  home  and  enter  a  nunnery 
would  only  make  matters  worse  !  "  She,  therefore, 


THE   BOYARYINIA    MOROZOV        341 

implored  the  Boyaryinia  to  wait  at  least  until  her  son 
was  married,  as  it  would  be  impossible  for  her,  as  a 
nun,  to  take  part  in  the  marriage  ceremony. 

The  mother's  firm  decision,  however,  remained 
unshaken,  for  her  soul  revolted  at  the  hypocrisy 
involved  in  attending  service  in  churches  where  the 
new  ritual  was  in  use.  So  much  in  earnest  was  she, 
that  she  finally  succeeded  in  having  her  own  way, 
and,  under  the  name  of  Feodora,  she  was  shriven 
by  Father  Dosithe,  one  of  the  Old  Believers,  who 
entrusted  her  formally  to  the  spiritual  care  of  Melania. 
This  happened  in  December  1671.  From  that  time 
forward,  the  Boyaryinia  handed  over  the  care  of  the 
household  to  a  faithful  servant  and  regulated  her 
own  life  according  to  the  monastic  rules  of  prayer, 
fasting  and  silence. 

The  apprehensions  of  her  worldly-wise  friend  were 
soon  justified  :  her  failure  to  attend  the  Tsar's  mar- 
riage with  his  second  wife,  Natalia  Narishkin,  started 
the  trouble.  Her  rank  and  position  as  a  connection  of 
the  Tsar  demanded  of  the  Boyaryinia  an  active  par- 
ticipation in  the  wedding  ceremony.  Her  refusal  to 
attend  deeply  offended  Alexei  Mikhailovitch,  who  did 
not  believe  in  the  genuineness  of  the  excuse  she  put 
forward,  namely,  that  she  was  suffering  so  much  with 
her  feet  that  she  could  neither  stand  nor  walk.  He 
was  not  far  wrong  either,  for  the  real  reason  which 
prevented  her  from  attending  the  wedding  was  that  it 
would  have  been  her  part  of  the  ceremony  to  recite 
the  Monarch's  titles  in  which  the  word  c<  orthodox  " — 
which  she  denied  to  be  right — was  included  ;  but  worst 
of  all,  she  would  have  been  obliged  to  receive  the  bless- 


342  SOME    RUSSIAN   HEROES 

ing  of  the  archbishops  whom  she  looked  upon  as  heretics. 
Far  rather  would  she  suffer  anything  than  have  fellow- 
ship with  the  "  Nikonians." 

"  I  see  she  has  grown  proud,"  remarked  the  Tsar,  to 
whom  the  refusal  to  participate  in  his  day  of  rejoicing 
was  an  unforgivable  insult.  He  restrained  his  anger, 
however,  for  the  time  being,  and  left  her  unmolested  ; 
but  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  he  sent,  first,  the 
Boyar  Troyekourov,  and  a  month  later,  her  sister's 
husband,  Prince  Ouroussov,  to  intimate  to  her  his 
displeasure,  and  to  inform  her  that  unless  she  would 
submit  and  accept  all  the  newly  edited  books,  severe 
punishment  would  be  meted  out  to  her. 

These  threats  left  the  lady  unmoved  ;  she  replied 
that  the  Tsar's  anger  was  quite  inexplicable  to  her,  as 
she  was  innocent  of  any  desire  to  wound  him,  and  was 
only  astonished  that  her  particular  form  of  piety  should 
have  thus  aroused  his  ire.  "  If,  however,  what  the 
Tsar  desires  is  to  turn  me  away  from  the  true  faith, 
let  him  not  be  under  any  misapprehension,  but  tell 
him  that  hitherto  the  Lord — the  Son  of  God — has  pro- 
tected me  with  His  right  arm,  and  that  I  have  no  more 
intention  now  than  I  ever  had,  to  forsake  the  faith  of 
my  fathers  and  to  accept  in  its  place  the  laws  of  Nikon. 
I  intend  to  die  in  the  faith  in  which  I  have  been  born 
and  baptized.  It  is  waste  of  time  for  the  Tsar  to  trouble 
about  me,  his  humble  slave,  for  nothing  will  ever  induce 
me  to  deny  our  orthodox  faith." 

The  bold  reply  of  this  courageous  woman  increased 
the  resentment  of  AlexeiMikhailovitch,who,  upon  hear- 
ing her  message,  pronounced  these  ominous  words  :  <c  It 
will  not  be  easy  for  her  to  resist  me  ;  one  of  us  must 


THE   BOYARYINIA   MOROZOV        343 

conquer  !  "  Being  ever  slow  to  act,  the  Tsar  stayed 
his  hand  yet  a  little  longer,  but  the  contest  between 
Tsar  and  woman  was  merely  postponed. 

After  the  Tsar's  ultimatum,  the  nuns  who  lived 
within  the  Boyaryinia's  house,  realizing  that  the  cloud 
which  overshadowed  her  hospitable  roof  was  rapidly 
lowering,  craved  permission  to  leave.  The  Boyaryinia, 
however,  knew  the  Tsar's  hesitating  nature,  and  was 
kept  informed  of  all  that  was  going  on  at  the  palace 
by  her  brother-in-law,  who  came  every  evening  to  visit 
his  wife,  the  Princess  having  now  taken  up  her  abode 
altogether  at  her  sister's  house.  The  noble  widow  was, 
therefore,  justified  in  comforting  her  frightened  com- 
panions with  the  words  :  "  Fear  not,  my  doves,  they  are 
not  going  to  interfere  with  me  just  yet !  " 

Two  weeks  later,  however,  she  gave  them  the  desired 
permission,  saying,  "  My  time  has  come  !  Go  where- 
soever the  Lord  will  lead  you  ;  give  me  your  blessing, 
and  pray  for  me  that  the  Lord  may  give  me  strength 
to  suffer  for  His  sake."  Truly,  she  was  to  need  the 
prayers  of  her  friends,  for  there  was  awaiting  her  such 
a  time  of  trial  as  probably  she  herself  had  not  fully 
anticipated.  Prince  Ouroussov  secretly  favoured  the 
Old  Believers,  and  therefore,  in  no  way  interfered 
with  his  wife's  adherence  to  that  party.  It  was  he  who 
now  told  her  to  go  and  warn  her  sister  that  the  Tsar 
was  thoroughly  inflamed  against  her,  and  that  she  must 
be  prepared  for  great  suffering. 

That  night  the  sisters  sat  up  and  waited  together  for 
what  was  to  come,  when  suddenly,  at  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  they  heard  the  great  gates  of  the  house  of 
the  Morozovs  swing  open.  For  a  moment  the  brave 


344  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

heart  faltered,  the  Boyaryinia  cowered  down  into  her 
chair,  covering  her  face  with  her  hands  ;  but  it  was 
only  a  passing  weakness,  and  at  the  words  of  her  be- 
loved sister,  <c  Be  not  afraid,  Christ  is  with  us  !  "  she 
recovered  herself.  Both  ladies  prostrated  themselves 
in  prayer,  and  adjured  each  other  to  "stand  fast  for 
the  truth  !  "  Then  they  separated,  the  Princess  seek- 
ing refuge  in  a  secret  closet,  where  for  months  past 
the  nun  Melania  had  been  kept  in  hiding. 

Accompanied  by  one  of  the  secretaries  of  the  Boyar 
Duma,  the  Archimandrite  Joakim  stalked  boldly  into 
the  Boyaryinia's  bedchamber  and  sternly  commanded 
her  to  render  submission  to  the  Tsar  and  to  answer 
every  question  put  to  her.  He  then  asked  her  where 
Melania  was,  to  which  she  replied,  <c  Many  have  en- 
joyed the  hospitality  of  my  house,  amongst  others, 
she  whom  you  seek,  but  they  have  all  left  me."  The 
secretary  then  began  to  make  a  search,  and  soon  found 
the  door  of  the  closet.  Upon  opening  the  door,  he 
beheld  the  Princess,  who,  finding  herself  discovered, 
called  out,  "  I  am  Peter  Ouroussov's  wife  !  "  Then 
came  the  crucial  moment  of  her  life.  Commanded  to 
confess  how  she  crossed  herself,  she  bravely  made  the 
sign  of  the  Cross  with  two  fingers,  saying,  "  This  is  my 
belief  !  "  adding,  as  if  to  give  herself  courage,  "  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  Son  of  God,  have  mercy  upon  me  a 
sinner  !  " 

Her  confession  was  immediately  repeated  to  the 
Archimandrite  by  the  secretary,  and  leaving  the  two 
ladies  in  charge  of  that  official,  the  high  ecclesiastic 
returned  to  the  Tsar,  who  was  excitedly  awaiting  the 
result  of  the  nocturnal  visit  to  his  defiant  connection. 


THE   BOYARYINIA   MOROZOV        345 

He  was  told  that  not  only  the  Boyaryinia,  but  her 
sister  also,  were  firmly  withstanding  the  Imperial 
command.  The  Tsar  was  taken  aback  at  the  news  : 
a  The  Princess  has  always  been  gentle  and  agreeable — 
I  have  never  heard  that  she  abominated  our  service 
like  that  other  mad,  bad  woman."  Deeply  offended, 
he  gave  orders  that  both  women  should  be  arrested 
immediately. 

The  feelings  of  Prince  Ouroussov,  who  had  been 
present  at  this  conversation,  can  be  imagined.  Help- 
less and  tongue-tied,  the  unhappy  husband  had  to 
stand  by  while  all  this  was  going  on,  for  he  knew  that 
matters  had  gone  too  far  for  any  words  of  his  to  in- 
fluence the  Tsar's  decision  ;  he  was  a  noble  husband 
of  a  noble  wife,  and  the  consciousness  of  his  sympathy 
was  one  of  the  greatest  comforts  his  wife  experienced 
during  her  prolonged  trial. 

Returning  to  the  house  of  the  accused,  the  Archi- 
mandrite now  enquired  of  the  servants  as  to  their 
manner  of  crossing  themselves — but,  like  mistress,  like 
maid — fearlessly  they  declared  their  convictions.  To 
the  Boyaryinia,  Joakim  then  disclosed  the  order  he  had 
received  from  the  Tsar  :  a  Drive  her  out  of  house  and 
home  !  For,"  said  he,  "  thou  hast  not  known  how  to 
live  in  subjection  to  the  Tsar,  but  thyself  hast  become 
more  and  more  stiff-necked.  Thou  hast  been  long 
enough  exalted,  now  be  abased  !  Arise,  away  with 
thee  ! " 

She,  however,  behaved  as  if  she  did  not  hear  his 
words,  whereupon  the  priest  ordered  her  to  be  lifted 
into  a  chair  and  to  be  carried  out  behind  him  into 
the  yard.  Unobserved  by  the  Boyaryinia,  her  son  fol- 


346  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

lowed  the  little  procession  to  the  hall  door  ;  silently  he 
bowed  to  the  receding  figure  of  his  beloved  mother, 
whom  he  was  never  to  see  again. 

The  sisters  were  chained  by  the  ankles  and  kept 
under  strict  surveillance  in  the  servants*  hall  ;  two 
days  later  they  were  loosed  from  their  fetters  and 
commanded  to  follow  those  who  had  come  to  take 
them  away.  Again  the  Boyaryinia  refused  to  comply, 
whereupon  she  was  carried  to  the  hostel  of  the 
Tchoudov  Monastery,  her  sister  walking  behind 
her. 

On  coming  into  the  hall  the  two  women  bowed 
low  to  the  Holy  Ikon,  but  gave  the  faintest  possible 
sign  of  recognition  to  the  men  there  assembled,  for 
it  was  a  point  of  honour  with  the  Old  Believers  to 
express  whenever  possible  their  scorn  for  their 
opponents — the  enemies  of  the  Faith.  There  were 
the  Metropolitan  Paul,  the  Archimandrite  Joakim, 
and  various  others.  The  Metropolitan  had  become 
notorious  as  the  chief  inquisitor  of  the  "  schismatics." 
It  was  this  sensuous,  worldly-minded  man,  a  bitter 
foe  of  the  ascetic  Old  Ritualists,  who  now  addressed 
the  widow.  In  a  soft  insinuating  voice  he  expressed 
his  regret  that  she  should  ever  have  listened  to  the 
blandishments  of  those  fugitive  monks  and  nuns  with 
whom  it  had  pleased  her  to  surround  herself. 

Her  answer  was  that  these  faithful  servants  of 
God  had  been  the  means  of  leading  her  into  the 
way  of  truth.  In  vain  did  the  Metropolitan  urge 
her  to  fall  in  with  the  wishes  of  the  Tsar  ;  in  vain 
did  he  plead  with  her  to  remember  her  son  :  "  It 
is  Christ  I  have  promised  to  obey,  and  to  the  Light 


THE   BOYARYINIA   MOROZOV        347 

given  to  me  I  will  remain  true  to  the  end  !     I  live 
for  Christ  and  not  for  my  son  !  " 

The  interrogation  lasted  a  long  time  and,  finally, 
the  irritated  ecclesiastic  asked  her  angrily  :  <c  What 
do  you  think  of  us  all — surely  not  that  we  are  all 
heretics  ? " 

cc  You  are  all  like  Nikon — that  enemy  of  God, 
who  introduced  heresy  into  the  Church  ! " 

Her  sister  responded  in  like  manner,  and  the  two 
obdurate  ladies  were  once  more  put  into  chains  and 
taken  back  to  the  place  where  they  had  spent  the 
night.  On  the  morrow  a  heavy  chain  was  placed 
around  the  Boyaryinia's  neck  and  fixed  to  a  chair. 
The  prisoner  kissed  the  chain,  saying  :  a  Praise  the 
Lord  for  having  granted  me  the  honour  of  bearing 
fetters  as  St.  Paul  did ! "  The  two  sisters  were 
then  carried  out.  The  Boyaryinia  was  placed  in  a 
common  sledge  and  driven  through  the  town  ;  the 
crowd  through  which  she  passed  was  divided  in 
feeling — many  deeply  sympathized  with  this  sufferer 
for  the  Faith  they  also  held,  and  called  down  blessings 
upon  her  head,  while  others  scoffed  and  jeered  at 
the  unwonted  sight  of  a  great  lady  being  driven 
along  like  a  criminal. 

"  Why  is  she  such  a  fool  as  to  resist  the  Tsar  ? 
Let  her  suffer  for  her  obstinacy  !  " 

All  along  the  route,  whenever  the  Boyaryinia 
recognized  fellow-believers,  she  encouraged  them  by 
raising  her  arm  with  the  two  fingers  outstretched  ; 
she  did  this  with  renewed  vigour  when  passing  the 
place  where  she  suspected  the  Tsar  to  be  looking 
upon  the  indignity  to  which  she  was  being  exposed 


348  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

by  his  orders,  wishing  to  show  him  that  she  gloried  in 
her  bonds. 

The  indignities  of  these  last  hours  were  but  an 
earnest  of  the  suffering  to  come  ;  the  two  devoted 
sisters  were  separated  and  kept  under  strict  super- 
vision. The  Princess  Ouroussov,  who  was  incarcerated 
in  a  convent,  showed  as  much  strength  of  conviction 
as  her  sister  who  was  kept  a  prisoner  in  the 
hostel  of  the  Peshtcherski  Monastery.  The  Princess 
could  never  be  induced  to  attend  church  services 
voluntarily,  and  in  order  to  avoid  them  she  even 
resorted  to  the  ruse  of  pretending  to  be  utterly 
unable  to  move.  This  did  not  lead  to  the  desired 
result,  for  her  inert  body  would  be  lifted  on  to  a 
stretcher  and  carried  into  the  church.  More  than 
once  the  sight  of  some  Old  Believers  amongst  the 
crowd  made  her  groan  as  if  in  agony  :  "  Stop  a 
moment,  I  feel  so  ill ! "  and  then  when  the  nuns 
obeyed  the  command  of  the  great  lady,  the  Princess 
would  start  up  and  begin  to  upbraid  them  for 
dragging  her  by  force  to  church.  She  invariably 
made  good  use  of  the  opportunity  of  enlivening  her 
audience  in  the  street  with  a  lusty  attack  against 
the  Nikonians,  and  it  became  quite  a  popular  form 
of  entertainment  for  rich  and  poor  alike  to  go  and 
watch  the  Princess  being  dragged  into  church. 

A  week  after  the  Boyaryinia  Morozov's  arrival  at 
her  place  of  detention,  one  of  the  Old  Believers 
managed  to  gain  access  to  her,  and  through  this 
friend  she  sent  messages  of  comfort  and  encourage- 
ment to  her  humbler  fellow-believers,  many  of  whom 
had  also  been  arrested  and  put  into  chains. 


THE   BOYARYINIA   MOROZOV        349 

The  Boyaryinia  was  frequently  visited  by  the 
Metropolitan  of  Ryazan  who  had  formerly  been  an 
Old  Believer  himself  and  one  of  Avvakum's  com- 
panions and  friends.  It  was  hoped  that  since  he  had 
accepted  the  new  ritual,  he  would  be  better  able  to 
understand  her  difficulties  and  to  convince  her  of 
the  error  of  her  ways,  but  all  his  attempts  to  do 
so  were  in  vain.  What  troubled  the  Boyaryinia 
most  was  the  fact  that,  owing  to  being  chained  to 
a  chair,  she  was  unable  to  make  the  numerous  pros- 
trations incumbent  upon  a  nun.  Of  this  enforced 
"idleness"  she  bitterly  complained  to  her  beloved 
"  Mother,"  Melania,  with  whom  she  managed  to 
keep  in  regular  communication  all  the  while  that 
the  Tsar  was  trying  in  vain  to  trace  her  whereabouts. 
Lively  intercourse  was  also  kept  up  between  the 
prisoner  and  other  friends  in  spite  of  all  orders  to 
the  contrary,  for  the  very  guards  who  were  put  to 
watch  over  her  acted  as  intermediaries. 

The  Tsar  felt  that  if  he  could  not  keep  her  friends 
away  from  her  he  could  at  least  cut  her  off  from 
all  her  relations,  and  therefore  sent  her  two  brothers 
away  on  military  expeditions.  Thus  the  last  link 
with  her  home  was  broken,  for  about  the  same 
time  she  received  news  of  the  death  of  her  beloved 
son,  who,  it  was  told  her,  had  died  of  grief — "  a  pun- 
ishment from  God  for  her  apostasy."  The  Old 
Believers,  however,  strongly  suspected  foul  play,  and 
were  convinced  that  the  foreign  doctors  had  pre- 
cipitated his  end,  for  these  had  been  sent  to  him 
by  the  Tsar  as  soon  as  the  latter  had  heard  of  the 
young  Boyar's  illness.  Avvakum,  writing  lovingly 


350  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

from  exile  to  the  broken-hearted  mother,  also  expresses 
his  belief  in  the  theory  that  there  had  been  foul 
play. 

After  the  death  of  the  young  Boyar  Morozov,  all 
the  property  of  his  widowed  mother  was  confiscated 
by  order  of  the  Tsar.  Her  horses  and  lands  were 
distributed  amongst  the  boyars,  and  all  her  jewel- 
lery and  valuables  were  sold  and  the  money  divided. 
Though  placed  under  a  ban,  and  robbed  of  all  her 
possessions,  the  Boyaryinia  was  not  allowed  to  suffer 
want,  for  she  was  always  nourished  and  upheld  by 
the  Old  Believers  of  Moscow,  who  thereby  exposed 
themselves  to  still  greater  persecution. 

Chained  and  imprisoned,  "yet  free  to  follow  out 
her  conviction,"  that  is  how  she  looked  upon  her 
condition.  The  very  Streltsi  who  were  guarding 
her  did  all  they  could  to  make  life  easier  for  her, 
even  to  the  point  of  secretly  letting  a  priest  of  the 
Old  Believers  come  in  to  give  her  the  Sacrament. 

The  Tsar  himself  permitted  the  Boyaryinia. to  have 
with  her  two  of  her  old  servants  who  had  attended 
upon  her  in  the  days  of  her  wealth,  and  who  now, 
sharing  her  faith,  were  only  too  glad  to  serve  her 
in  her  time  of  trouble.  Once  she  even  received  a 
visit  from  her  sister  who  had  cajoled  the  nun  set 
to  guard  her,  to  let  her  go  home  for  a  night  to 
see  her  children,  saying  that  she  could  no  longer 
bear  the  separation  from  them — and  the  soft-hearted 
nun  could  not  refuse  to  let  her  go  and  <c  give  them 
each  a  kiss " — instead  of  which  she  went  to  see 
her  sister.  This  expedition,  however,  proved  more 
dangerous  than  she  had  anticipated,  and  it  was  only 


THE   BOYARYINIA    MOROZOV        351 

due  to  the  kindness  of  the  Streltsi  that  she  was  not 
found  out,  an  eventuality  which  would  have  been 
calamitous  to  all  concerned. 

Not  only  the  Streltsi  who  guarded  the  Boyaryinia 
and  the  nuns  who  looked  after  the  Princess  acted 
as  intermediaries  between  the  two  sisters,  but  also 
many  a  boyaryinia  came  to  visit  them  both.  Even 
the  Tsar's  own  son  used  to  drive  out  to  the 
Monastery  where  the  ladies  were  held  in  captivity. 
On  one  of  these  occasions,  looking  through  the 
barred  window  of  the  Princess's  cell,  he  said  to  her 
with  profound  emotion  :  "  I  am  deeply  grieved  to 
see  you  suffering  like  this.  I  do  wish  1  knew 
whether  it  is  indeed  the  truth  for  which  you  are 
enduring  such  hardships." 

A  few  months  later,  the  Patriarch  Nikon  was 
superseded,  and  then  it  seemed  as  if  an  end  were 
coming  to  the  suffering  of  the  two  sisters.  The 
Abbess  of  the  Convent  in  which  the  Princess  was 
confined  took  advantage  of  the  first  opportunity  to 
tell  the  newly  appointed  Patriarch  of  her  interesting 
captive  and  also  about  the  Boyaryinia.  The  Mother 
Superior  sympathized  with  them  both  and  knew  that 
the  Patriarch  had  only  recently  seceded  from  the 
ranks  of  the  Old  Believers.  Her  confidence  was 
not  misplaced  and  soon  afterwards  the  Patriarch  dis- 
cussed the  question  with  the  Tsar.  He  counselled 
him  to  restore  to  the  Boyaryinia  at  least  her  house 
and  a  hundred  peasants,  and  to  let  the  Princess 
return  to  her  husband.  "What  harm  can  these 
women  do  ? "  At  this  Alexei  Mikhailovitch  shook 
his  head  :  "  You  do  not  know  the  wickedness  of 


352  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

that  woman,"  he  said  :  "  I  would  long  ago  have  done 
as  you  suggested  if  she  had  been  different.  You 
would  not  believe  how  the  Boyaryinia  has  abused 
and  still  continues  to  abuse  us.  She  has  put  me  to 
great  inconvenience  and  causes  me  endless  trouble. 
If  you  doubt  my  words,  have  her  brought  before 
you  and  interrogate  her  and  you  will  see  then  how 
immovable  she  is.'' 

That  very  night  the  Boyaryinia  was  brought  before 
the  Patriarch,  who  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  Tsar  was  not  far  wrong.  She  remained  true  to 
her  motto — "No  compromise  "  —and  refused  even  to 
accept  the  Patriarch's  offer  to  become  himself  her 
Confessor  and  to  minister  to  her  in  person.  Suddenly 
a  possible  way  out  of  the  difficulty  occurred  to  him. 
He  called  for  holy  oil,  intending  to  anoint  her  in 
the  hope  of  bringing  her  to  reason.  The  Boyaryinia, 
true  to  her  determination  never  to  stand  before  a 
heretic,  had  up  to  now  been  resting  limply  in  the 
arms  of  the  two  guards  who  supported  her  on  either 
side  to  prevent  her,  as  it  seemed,  from  falling  to  the 
ground.  When,  however,  she  realized  what  was 
about  to  happen,  she  flung  off  her  guards,  drew 
herself  up  to  her  full  height  and  with  eyes  blazing 
with  righteous  indignation,  bade  him  remember  her 
rank — then  overwhelmed  with  the  horror  of  it,  she 
wailed  :  "  Do  not  ruin  me  with  apostate  oil  !  " 
Clanking  her  chains  in  agony,  she  exclaimed, 
a  Wouldst  thou  undo  in  one  moment  all  I  have 
suffered  for  so  long  ?  Go,  leave  me — I  desire  none 
of  thy  holy  things  !  " 

The  baffled,  and  now  infuriated,  Patriarch  is  said  to 


THE   BOYARYINIA   MOROZOV        353 

have  threatened  to  strike  the  bold  woman  to  the  ground. 
Anyway  she  was  taken  back  again  to  the  hostel  of  the 
Peshtcherski  Monastery. 

The  Patriarch  was  equally  unsuccessful  with  the 
Princess  and  her  fellow  captive  and  friend,  the  nun 
Maria — also  a  lady  of  noble  birth.  The  night  after 
his  interview  with  them,  the  three  women  were  taken 
to  the  torture  chamber,  where  the  supreme  test  was 
applied  to  them  by  three  boyars.  The  first  to  suffer 
was  Maria.  Stript  to  the  waist,  with  her  hands  tied 
behind  her,  she  was  brought  up  to  the  fire,  where  she 
was  raised  upon  the  rack.  Then  they  laid  hold  of  the 
Princess  and  tore  off  her  coloured  robe,  crying  :  "  Thou 
art  under  the  Tsar's  ban,  how  is  it  thou  darest  to  wear 
coloured  garments  ? "  and  then  she  too  was  raised  on 
to  the  rack.  The  turn  of  the  Boyaryinia  came  last, 
and  to  the  gibes  and  taunts  of  her  tormentors  she 
replied  with  dignity  and  calm,  declaring  that  she  was 
glad  to  suffer  as  her  Lord  had  suffered. 

Her  hands  were  tied  behind  her  back  and  she  was 
then  suspended  from  a  beam,  being  kept  for  some  time 
in  this  position,  after  which  new  tortures  were  then 
applied.  Maria  was  cruelly  beaten  with  the  knout, 
the  sisters  being  threatened  with  like  treatment  unless 
they  abjured  their  heresy.  The  sight  of  the  bloody 
stripes  on  her  friend's  back  aroused  the  indignation  of 
the  Boyaryinia,  who  had  borne  her  own  injuries  without 
a  murmur.  "  Is  this  Christianity  ?  "  she  exclaimed. 
This  seems  to  have  aroused  some  sense  of  shame  in 
her  tormentors,  for  the  martyrs  were  then  led  back  to 
their  prisons. 

She  had  merely  expressed  what  Avvakum  also  felt, 


A  A 


354  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

when  he  wrote  that  gentleness,  not  persecution,  was 
the  apostolic  method  of  bringing  back  erring  sheep 
to  the  fold.  "  They  were  trying  to  build  up  and 
strengthen  the  faith  with  the  aid  of  whips,  fire  and 
gallows  !  Which  of  the  Apostles  has  taught  them  this  ? 
I  wot  not.  My  Christ  never  commanded  His  disciples 
to  act  thus.'' 

In  the  Council  Chamber  of  the  Tsar  serious  delibera- 
tions were  carried  on  as  to  what  was  to  be  done  with 
these  obdurate  heretics.  The  suggestion  of  the  ecclesi- 
astics that  the  Boyaryinia  should  be  burnt  at  the  stake 
was  not  at  all  favourably  received  by  the  boyars. 

The  Tsar  even  went  so  far  as  to  send  the 
Boyaryinia  a  conciliatory  message,  but  every  effort 
to  settle  the  matter  peaceably  was  unavailing  ;  and, 
finally,  he  gave  orders  to  transfer  her  to  a  convent 
where  she  was  to  be  strictly  guarded  and  forced  to 
attend  the  services — a  new  infliction  for  her.  It  led, 
however,  only  to  a  repetition  of  those  scenes  which  had 
been  enacted  by  her  sister  and  had  attracted  so  many 
sightseers.  Now  it  was  the  Boyaryinia  who  was  being 
dragged  forcibly  to  church  ;  a  sight  which  drew  such 
large  crowds  that  the  Tsar  decided  to  have  her  brought 
back  to  Moscow. 

Once  again  history  repeated  itself.  All  her  friends, 
both  rich  and  poor,  came  to  visit  her,  and  even  the 
elder  sister  of  the  Tsar  began  to  intercede  for  her  and 
to  upbraid  her  brother  for  his  cruelty,  but  he  refused 
to  listen  to  her  appeals,  and  one  after  the  other  the 
three  ladies  were  exiled  to  Borovsk,  where  they  were 
kept  in  a  dungeon.  Their  faithful  friends  did  all  they 
could  to  make  life  easier  for  them  and  Maria's  brother 


THE   BOYARYINIA   MOROZOV       355 

prevailed  upon  the  guards  to  be  lenient  with  their 
prisoners,  thus  enabling  them  to  keep  in  constant 
communication  with  their  fellow- believers  ;  and  even 
Avvakum  from  his  prison  in  far-off  Pustotersk,  managed 
to  convey  to  her  a  letter  of  comfort  and  sympathy. 

When  news  reached  the  Tsar  of  all  this  evasion  of 
his  orders,  he  had  one  of  the  servants  of  Maria's 
family  put  to  the  torture,  in  order  to  extract  from  him 
information  regarding  her  nephew  Rodion,  who  was 
suspected  of  being  the  go-between.  The  victim  en- 
dured great  suffering,  but  remained  staunch  and  never 
disclosed  the  fact  that  the  man  in  question  was  at  that 
very  moment  lying  hidden  underneath  the  flooring. 

The  unhealthy  and  primitive  conditions  in  which 
the  Boyaryinia  now  found  herself  soon  told  upon  her 
health,  and  feeling  that  her  end  was  drawing  near  she 
expressed  a  wish  to  see  once  more  her  friend  and 
spiritual  Mother,  Melania.  This  warm-hearted  and 
undaunted  woman,  herself  a  fugitive,  left  her  hiding- 
place  and  came  to  comfort  her  much-tried  spiritual 
children.  The  Tsar  soon  heard  of  this  circumstance, 
and  promptly  sent  a  messenger  to  investigate  the 
matter,  with  the  result  that  the  officer,  who  had  been 
so  obliging  as  to  let  Melania  pass,  was  degraded  to  the 
ranks  and  banished  to  a  distant  outpost.  Enquiries 
were  also  made  concerning  those  who  had  supplied  the 
prisoners  with  food  and  clothing,  and  the  ladies  them- 
selves were  deprived  of  their  devotional  books  and 
ikons.  As  if  this  were  not  enough,  all  their  clothes, 
except  one  garment  of  each  kind,  were  taken  from 
them. 

As  a  result  of  a  second  official  investigation  which 


356  SOME   RUSSIAN    HEROES 

took  place  a  few  weeks  later,  the  nun  Justina,  whom 
the  two  sisters  had  found  in  Borovsk  on  their  arrival, 
was  burned  at  the  stake.  The  pit  in  which  the  sisters 
had  hitherto  been  kept  was  filled  in  and  a  deeper  one 
was  dug,  into  which  the  Martyrs  were  thrown.  The 
days  which  followed  were  worse  than  any  they  had 
passed  through  hitherto  :  all  communication  with  the 
outside  world  was  cut  off  and  the  confinement  in  the 
small,  dark  dungeon  became  more  and  more  loathsome  ; 
forced  to  live  in  the  midst  of  filth  in  a  foetid  at- 
mosphere, sleepless  nights  were  added  to  days  of 
torment.  Insufficiently  supplied  with  food,  they  were 
left  to  die  of  slow  starvation.  Their  physical  suffering 
was  intensified  by  the  moral  torment  of  not  being  able 
to  perform  their  devotions  in  the  prescribed  manner, 
for  to  these  pious  women  ritual  and  ceremonial  were 
of  the  essence  of  religion,  and  it  was  terrible  to  them 
to  be  so  restricted  in  space  that  they  could  not  make 
the  obligatory  prostrations.  Deprived  of  their  rosaries, 
they  were  reduced  to  making  knots  in  bits  of  string  so 
as  to  check  the  number  of  their  prayers. 

After  two  and  a  half  months  of  this  slow  torture, 
the  Princess  Ouroussov  succumbed.  As  there  was  no 
one  to  minister  to  her,  the  Boyaryinia,  in  fulfilment  of 
her  sister's  last  request  that  she  might  be  allowed  to 
die  according  to  the  rules  of  the  Church,  repeated  over 
her  the  prayer  for  the  dying.  The  mortal  remains  of 
this  one-time  Court  lady  were  buried  without  any 
ceremony  within  the  prison  grounds. 

The  authorities  in  Moscow,  reckoning  that  this 
culmination  of  all  her  suffering  would  have  a  weaken- 
ing effect  upon  the  Boyaryinia's  power  of  resistance, 


THE   BOYARYINIA   MOROZOV        357 

tried  once  more  to  bring  her  into  union  with  the 
Church,  but  the  Imperial  messenger  who  was  sent 
to  interrogate  her,  returned  without  having  accom- 
plished anything.  This  was  the  answer  the  martyr 
for  her  faith  sent  to  the  Tsar  :  "  Even  when  I  was 
living  in  quiet  and  comfort  in  my  own  house,  I  had  no 
desire  to  join  with  you.  How  can  you  expect  me, 
now  that  I  have  endured  so  much  suffering  for  His 
sake,  to  separate  myself  from  my  good  and  altogether 
lovely  Lord  ?  My  beloved  "ister,  ally  and  fellow- 
sufferer,  has  gone  before  me  to  my  Lord — yet  a  little 
while  and  I  also  shall  depart  to  be  with  Him." 

One  thought,  however,  troubled  the  Boyaryinia ; 
she  confided  it  to  her  new  companion,  a  nun  who  was 
also  suffering  for  her  faith  and  who  had  been  placed 
in  the  pit  when  the  Princess  had  been  removed  from  it 
by  death.  Sadly  the  dying  woman  whispered  to  her 
friend  :  "  It  is  not  meet  when  the  Lord  comes  to  take 
my  soul  to  Himself,  that  the  body  which  they  put  into 
the  womb  of  Mother  Earth  should  be  clothed  in  a 
soiled  garment."  Her  last  wish  was  gratified — the 
rough  soldier  who  had  been  set  to  guard  her,  washed 
her  single  garment  in  the  river.  That  same  night  the 
Boyaryinia  Morozov  died.  Her  body,  swathed  in  sacking, 
was  buried  like  a  dog's  in  a  hastily  dug  hole  in  a  corner 
of  the  prison-grounds,  beside  the  grave  of  her  sister. 

Meanwhile  Avvakum,  from  behind  his  prison  walls 
in  Pustotersk  was  sending  forth  epistles  to  his  scattered 
flock,  the  very  guards  themselves  assisting  in  the  trans- 
mission of  these  letters.  Even  the  living  tomb  failed 
to  silence  the  voice  of  the  noble  and  fearless  warrior 
for  the  Faith. 


358  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

Many  years  passed  away  and  the  Empire  underwent 
many  changes,  but  political  events  left  the  lonely 
prisoner  untouched.  At  last  news  reached  Avvakum 
of  the  death  of  the  Tsar  Alexei  Mikhailovitch.  The 
old  man,  weakened  by  long  years  of  suffering,  made 
one  more  effort  and  wrote  a  petition  to  the  new  Tsar — 
but  the  only  reply  elicited  by  this  somewhat  incoherent 
epistle,  which  began  in  all  humility  but  went  on  to 
speak  of  the  late  Tsar  as  "being  in  torment,"  was  a 
stern  command  from  his  son  "  to  burn  Avvakum  and 
his  comrades  at  the  stake  for  their  terrible  blasphemy 
against  the  Imperial  House."  At  Court,  unfortunately, 
a  generation  had  arisen  <c  that  knew  not  Joseph,"  and 
no  personal  links  existed  between  Feodor  Alexeivitch 
and  the  man  who  had  been  his  father's  friend.  To  the 
Tsar,  who  was  a  pupil  of  the  Kievite  monks  and  had 
been  brought  up  in  the  new  school  of  thought,  the 
attitude  of  the  Old  Believers  was  absolutely  incompre- 
hensible, and  the  slight  cast  upon  his  father's  memory 
by  the  old  excommunicated  priest  only  aggravated  his 
offence  in  the  eyes  of  his  sovereign. 

On  April  ist,  1681,  the  sentence  was  carried  out, 
and  the  noble  life  which  had  been  spent  in  constant 
suffering  came  to  an  end  amid  the  flames  of  burning 
faggots. 

The  irritation  which  may  be  felt  by  some  people  by 
the  apparent  unreasonableness  of  the  Old  Believers, 
who  preferred  death  to  conforming  to  what  may  appear 
trifling  externals  of  ritual,  can  only  be  turned  into 
sympathy  when  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  it  was  for  a 
principle  these  people  suffered  and  died — for  what  they 
considered  the  Truth.  It  is  also  only  when  we  remember 


THE   BOYARYINIA   MOROZOV        359 

the  intensity  of  antagonism  exhibited  against  all  innova- 
tions, the  depth  of  feeling  aroused,  and  the  power  of 
persistent  opposition  displayed  by  these  nonconform- 
ists with  such  magnificent  energy  and  self-sacrifice, 
that  we  understand  the  tremendous  odds  against  which 
Peter  the  Great  had  to  fight  when  introducing  his 
reforms.  On  the  other  hand  this  violence  of  opposi- 
tion helps  us  to  see  why  he  had  to  use  such  drastic 
methods.  The  stately  edifice  of  this  Master-builder 
was  threatened  with  the  undermining  of  its  foundations 
by  a  quicksand,  for  the  Old  Believers  numbered  ad- 
herents in  every  class  of  society,  and  his  reforms,  affect- 
ing as  they  did  every  side  of  national  life,  were  a 
sufficient  reason  for  a  pious  but  ignorant  people  to 
consider  the  Tsar  Antichrist,  thus  making  it  imperative 
for  them  to  oppose  his  efforts. 


LADIES  DRIVING,    l6TH  CENTURY. 


EPILOGUE 


THE   USPENSKI    SOBOR  OF   MOSCOW. 


USSIA  has  undergone 
many  and  great 
changes  since  those 
days  in  which  the 
heroes  of  the  fore- 
going stories  lived, 
but  because  they 
were  Russians  of  the 
Russians,  their  coun- 
terparts are  still  to 
be  found  among  the 
subjects  of  the  Tsar. 
The  leaders  of  Russia's  Armies  whom  their  men 
follow  with  love  and  devotion  are  of  the  same  calibre 
as  Vladimir,  Alexander  Nevski,  Dmitri  Donskoi, 
Kourbski,  and  Yermak.  Russian  women,  gifted  with 
the  power  of  organization  and  administation  of  an  Olga 
and  of  the  two  Princesses  of  Polotsk,  are  at  present 
doing  magnificent  relief  work  among  millions  of  home- 
less refugees,  as  well  as  taking  their  share  of  work  in 
the  hospitals  and  even  on  the  battlefield. 

Predslava  has  her  special  spiritual  descendant  in  the 
Grand  Duchess  Elizabeth  who  has  founded  a  religious 
order  in  Moscow,  herself  its  first  Abbess.  Her  ideal 
is  to  train  girls  to  work  among  the  sick  and  needy,  and 
not  merely  to  seek  salvation  in  contemplative  piety. 

360 


EPILOGUE  361 

The  monastic  ideal,  it  is  true,  still  survives  in  Russia, 
but  there  is  found  also  the  practical  saintliness  of  a 
Sergei  Radonejski  coupled  with  the  same  fine  sense  for 
the  supernatural. 

Russia  has  also  to-day  many  honest,  fearless  and  able 
administrators  like  Sylvester,  Adashev,  Philip  and 
Dionissi,  though  cruelty  of  the  kind  for  which  a 
Malyuta  Skouratov  or  a  Pashkov  were  notorious  may 
still  be  practised  by  some  governors  and  prison  warders 
in  distant  Siberia.  This  proves  the  truth  that  absolute 
power  over  one's  fellow-men  is  good  for  no  one,  and 
confirms  the  fact  that  now  also  "  heaven  is  high  and  the 
Tsar  far  away." 

One  thing,  however,  has  changed  completely,  and 
that  is  the  attitude  of  opposition  towards  progress  and 
learning,  which  so  surprised  the  foreign  observers  as 
late  as  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  which 
led  to  such  a  dire  cleavage  as  the  Great  Schism. 

The  Old  Believers  have  survived  in  spite  of  centuries 
of  persecution,  and  Avvakum  and  the  Boyaryinia 
Morozov  have  had  crowds  following  in  their  steps. 
These  Russian  nonconformists  might  well  expect  to  be 
understood  and  appreciated  by  the  British  people, 
among  whom  religious  conviction  has  always  held  such 
a  high  and  honoured  place.  Yet  the  two  leaders  of  the 
Russian  Schism  may  perhaps  appeal  least  of  all  to  the 
ordinary  reader,  and  a  feeling  of  irritation  against  such 
<c  unreasoning  obduracy  "  is  likely  to  arise  in  the  minds 
of  many.  These  martyrs,  however,  were  no  more 
obstinate  than  the  English  martyrs  under  Mary,  nor 
more  uncompromising  than  John  Knox,  though  the 
world  may  term  their  attitude  "  fanatical." 

Avvakum    and    the    Boyaryinia    Morozov    are    the 


362  SOME   RUSSIAN   HEROES 

prototypes  of  vast  numbers  of  sectarians  who  have 
filled  the  ecclesiastical  prisons  of  Russia,  or  have 
endured  banishment  to  the  Caucasus  or  to  Siberia  for 
their  faith.  It  is  this  temperament  which  provides  the 
material  for  the  fighters  for  political  liberty.  From 
every  class  of  society  men  and  women  have  joined  the 
ranks  of  this  army,  one  and  all  willing  to  endure 
imprisonment  and  exile  for  the  sake  of  their  conscientious 
convictions.  These  people  may  be  as  obdurate  as  the 
Boyaryinia,  as  intransigeant  as  the  most  extreme  party 
politician  of  the  present  day,  but  they  are  all  of  them 
equally  willing  and  eager  to  suspend,  for  the  sake  of 
serving  their  country,  all  party  questions  during  the 
period  of  war  ! 

As  to  the  masses  of  Russia,  they  are  no  longer 
drunken  and  brutish,  no  longer  voiceless,  although  at 
this  actual  time  they  are  silently  giving  their  lives  for 
their  Fatherland.  Patiently  they  are  enduring  hardships 
and  suffering  ;  simple  and  lovable,  always  able  to  under- 
stand and  to  accept  as  quite  natural  deeds  done  "for 
Christ's  sake," — deeds  which,  in  the  more  sophisticated 
West  of  Europe,  would  be  considered  merely  eccentric. 

There  still  exists  in  Russia  that  direct  simplicity  of 
human  relationships  which  makes  it  possible  for  the 
humblest  subject  of  the  Tsar  to  send  a  petition  direct 
to  him  ;  and  which  makes  master  and  servant,  squire 
and  peasant,  meet  and  talk  as  friends.  Side  by  side 
there  is,  unfortunately,  also  that  haughty  overbearing 
behaviour  of  the  officials  towards  the  people  so 
graphically  described  by  Giles  Fletcher  in  1591. 

Everybody  has  come  across  and  likes  the  amiable, 
good-natured,  "  very  charming  "  Russian  of  the  Dmitri 
type,  whose  chief  fault  seems  to  be  a  happy-go-lucky 


EPILOGUE 


363 


enjoyment  of  the  present,  without  purposeful  taking 
care  of  the  morrow.  Hence  political  or  social  emer- 
gencies find  them  unprepared,  and  valuable  opportu- 
nities are  frequently  lost. 

This  war  has  produced  many  a  patriot  like  Lyapounov, 
Minin  and  Pojarski  ;  and  what  the  Russian  cities  tried 
to  do  in  1612,  in  a  very  small  way,  the  Unions  of 
the  Zemstvos  and  of  the  Towns,  the  Red  Cross  and 
many  other  Societies  are  doing  since  the  outbreak 
of  the  war  on  a  gigantic  scale.  To  cope  adequately 
with  the  problem  of  having  to  care  for  millions  of 
wounded  men  and  homeless  families  of  refugees,  united 
and  organized  effort  has  proved  of  primary  necessity, 
and  to-day,  as  three  hundred  years  ago,  the  nation  is 
mobilizing  "  for  Victory". 

Finally,  it  is  hoped  that  Russians  of  the  present  day 
in  their  lovableness,  or  even  in  their  apparent  unreason- 
ableness, may  become  better  understood  by  their 
British  friends,  if  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  they  are  of 
the  same  flesh  and  blood  with  the  Heroes,  Saints  and 
Sinners  portrayed  in  this  volume. 


DETAIL  OF  THE   KREMLIN   IN    l6OQ. 


LIST   OF   AUTHORITIES 

ADELUNG,  F.  v.— Uber  die  alteren  auslandischen  Karten.     (Pub. 

1839.) 

„  — Kritische  literarische  Uebersicht.    (Pub.  1846.) 

AHMAD,  IBN. — Berichte  uber  die  Russen.     (Academy  of  Science, 

St.  Petersburg.) 

AJIEKCAH^PEHKO,  B.  H.— MaTepiaiH  .pa  anoxii  CMyraaro 
BpeMCHH.  XpOHiiKa  necemtaro.  Bapiuasa,  1909. 

AJIEKCAHJIiPO-HEBCKAfl  JraTOIIHCL.— OTPHBOKT,  HS-B 
JlixonHcn  o  BpeMenaxTb  ijapa  HBana  BacHJiLGBii^a  Fpoa- 
naro. 

AJIEKCr£EBrE>,  F.  II. — HcTopn^ecKO-HyMiisMaTH^ecKoe   HSCJI^. 

SOBame  o  XepconcKoii  Monexi.     C.-II.,  1886. 
BOWES,  SIR  JEROME. — Ambassage  of,  in  1583.     (Pub.  by  Hakluyt 

Society.) 
BRERETON,  HENRY. — Newes  of  the  present  miseries  of  Rushia. 

(Pub.  1614.) 

BRUECKNER,  A.  v.— Russland. 
BRY,  DE. — Ein  Historia  von  Johann  Herman  von  Bree.     (1602- 

1604.) 
BULOVSKY.— Histoire  de  1'Oraement  Russe  du  Xi&me  au  XVI*me 

Siecle  d'apres  les  Manuscrits.      (Pub.  Paris,  1870.) 
BURROUGH,    STEVEN. — The    Navigation    and    discoverie  toward 

the  river  of  Ob,  made  by  Master  in   1556.     (From 

Hakluyt's  "  Principal  Navigations.") 
BUSSOV,  CONRAD.— Chronica.     (Pub.  1612.) 
BAPTEHEBI>.— MocKOBCKift  KpeiOL.     MocKBa,  1912. 
BAPTOJtL,H1). — TypuecTaHt  B-B  anoxy  MoHrojiBCKaro  sainecTBia. 

H.,  1900. 

BOPOS.UHH'L,  A.  K.— HpOTonon^  AsBaKyMT,.     C.-II.,  1898. 
BYCJIAEBl).— HapoflHafl  noasia. 
„          — 0  Hapo^HoTr  no33in. 

365 


366  LIST  OF  AUTHORITIES 

CHANCELLOR,  RICHARD. — The  books  of  the  great  and  mighty 
Emperor    of    Russia    and    Duke    of    Moscovia,    etc.,    etc. 

Drawen   by   in    1554.     (From  Hakluyt's  "Principal 

Navigations.") 

BECEJIOBCKIH,  A.  H.— Ktao-PyccKia  EBIIHHLI. 
EWERS,  J.  R.  G.— Beitrage  zur  Kenntniss  Russlands. 
FABRI. — La  Religion  des  Moscovites  en  1525.  (Pub.  Paris  1860.) 

FISCHER,  W.— Die  russische  Grossfiirstin  Olga  am  Hofe  Byzan- 
tiums.     (Pub.  1888.) 

FLETCHER,  GILES.— A  Treatise  of  Russia.     (Pub.  1588.) 

„  „      — Of  the  Russe  Commonwealth.    (Pub.  1591.) 

F.,  J. — A  brief  historical  Relation  of  the  Empire  of  Russia.     (Pub. 
London,  1654.) 

GERBILLION,  J.  F. — Travels  into  Western  Tartary.     1688-1698. 
GIOVIO,  PAOLO. — Moscouiter  wunderbare  Historien.    (Pub.  1567.) 

FAMEJIL. — AHOH^ase  Bt  Poccin  BT>  XVI.  H  XVII.  CTOJifekxt. 
C.-H.,  1865. 

rOJIYBMHCKIH.— HcTopia  PyccKofi  IJepKBir.     1901. 
„  —  LTpeno.noGHHH  CepriS  Pa^OHemcKift. 

„  — HcTOpia  KanoHHsaiuH  CBflTiix'b.     1894. 

TPABAPL. — HcTOpia  PyccKaro  HcKycciBa.     1910. 
„         — PyccEie  XyflOJEHiiKH.     1912. 
„         — PyccKie  Fopo.ua.     1913. 

FPHrOPBEBI). — ApxaHrejiBCKia     BHJIHHH    H     HcTOpniecKifl 

1899. 

).— PyccKiS  MyaeS.     1905-6. 
. — Kt  Bonocy  o  ^.orosopax-B  pyccKHxt  ci.  rpeRaMH. 
JI,OCH$EH   (ApxHManji;piiT'B). — JliTonHceut   CojroBeijKaro   Mo- 

HacTLipa.     1833. 

.UPEBHOCTH  rEPOftOTOBOH  CKH0IH.     C.-H.,  1871. 
JI,PEBHOCTH    POCClfiLCKAFO    TOCYJIiAPCTBA.— KieBCKifi 

Co<J)ificKiS  Co6op-L. 

3AB'£JIE[HrI). — HcTOpm  Fopo^a  MOCKBH.     MocKBa,  1902. 
HAMEL,  J.  v. — England  and  Russia.     (Pub.  London,  1854.) 


LIST   OF   AUTHORITIES  367 

HAMMER-PURGSTALL.  —  Geschichte    der    Goldenen    Horde. 

(Pub.   1840.) 
HERBERSTEIN,    SIGISMUND,    BARON.  —  Moscouiter     wunderbare 

Historien.      (Pub.  1557.) 
HORSEY,  JEROME,  SIR.—  The  Travels  of  in   1590.     (From  Hak- 

luyt's  "  Principal  Navigations.") 
HORSEY,    JEROME,    SIR.  —  The     most    solemne    and    magnificent 

Coronation    of  Pheodor    Ivanovitch,    Emperour    of    Russia 

in  the  yeare   1584. 
IDES-YSBRANT.—  Three  Years  Travels  Overland.     (Pub.  1706.) 

HCTOPH^ECKm  onncAHm  OAEsmH  H  BOOpyjKEHifl 

pyCCKHXI>  BOHCK'L.  C.-IL,  1841. 
HCTOPIfl  XIX  CTOJTfcTm.—  Hsji;.  rpanaT*. 
JENKINSON,  ANTHONY.  —  The  First  Voyage  made  from  the  City 

of   London    toward    the    Land    of    Russia,    1557.       (Pub. 

London.) 
KAPAM3HHI>.—  Ocaaa  KaaasH. 

,,  —  HcTOpm    Tocy^apCTsa    PocciScKaro.      C.-II., 

1824. 
,,  —  npHMi^aHifl  KI>  HcTophi  rocy^apCTBa  Poccii!- 

CKaro.     C.-n.,  1852. 

KJHDHAPEBI).  —  J^peBHe-PyccKi 
KJIIOHEBCKIH.—  ftpeBHe-PyccKis  5KiiTia 

>.—  Tpa  ^ejro6iiTia.     1862. 

).  —  H3o6pajKeHia  PyccKoS   KnaffiecKoS  CeMBii  st 
MimiaTiopax'B.     XI.  c. 

KOCTOMAPOBl).  —  JIiiBOHCKaa  Bofina. 

„  —  HcTopuHecKia  Monorpa(})iii  H  Hacji'B.noBaHUL 

C.-H.,  1867. 

„  —  PyccKaa  Hcxopia  B'L  ^KnaHeonircaHmxt  en 

^teejrefi.     C.-H.,  1873. 
CTapiiHHofi   PyccKofi  JlHiepa- 


—  Ky^eapt. 

—  O^epK^  ToproBiii  MocKOBCKaro 

B-B  XVI.  H  XVII. 

Miieojioria. 


368  LIST   OF   AUTHORITIES 

KOCTIOIHKO-BAJIII^EBHTL.—  OTHBTI  o  PacKOiiuax'B  BT> 
XepcOHecrE  TaBpimecKOMt  BT>  1903  r. 

KPyOH.  —  HucLMa  o  CMYTHOMI,  BpeMeim. 

KYHHK1),  A.—  0  PyccKO-Bii3aHTiBcKiixT>  MoHeiaxt.  C.-II., 
1860. 

KyPECKIH.—  CKaaaHis  KnaBa  Kyp6cKaro. 

„  —  EepenncKa  KHJHA  Kyp6cKaro  CT>  Kjapeifb  loan- 

HOM-B  TpoaHEiM-L.     (1563-1567.) 

KLAPROTH,  H.  J.  v.—  Tableaux  historiques  de  1'Asie. 

„  —  Voyage  dans  la  Tartarie. 

KUNICK,  A.  —  Forschungen  in  der  alteren  geschichte  Russlands. 

„  —  Scriptores  Exeteri. 

JIEOHHJI,'!).—  CBflxaa  PycB. 

MARGERET,   LE   CAPITAINE.—  Estat   de   L'Empire    de    Russie    et 

Grande  Duche  de  Moscouie.     (Pub.  Paris,  1607.) 
MASSA,  ISAAC  OF  HARLEM.  —  Histoire  des  Guerres  de  la  Moscovie, 

1601-1610.     (Pub.  Bruxelles,  1866.) 

MAYERBERG,  A.  DE  BARON.—  Voyage  en  Moscovie.    (Pub.  1688.) 
MILTON,  J.—  A  Brief  History  of  Moscovia.     (Pub.  1672.) 
MOSCOW,  THE  CITY  OF.—  By  T.  A.  M.  S.     (Pub.  London,  1813.) 

MAJIEHH'L.  —  3amiCKn  o  MOCKOBCKIIXT,  .H'fejrax'L.  Translation  of 
(HERBERSTEIN'S  Rerum  Moscoviticarum  Commentarii. 
IS57-) 

MEJH>ryHOBT>.—  BejiiiKiii    IIOABEUEHIIK'L,    EpoTOnon'B 


MHJIJIEP1),  T.  $.  —  Oniicanie  Cn6HpcKaro  Focy^apcTBa.     1787. 
MMJHOKOBl),  n.  H.  —  HcTOpia  PyccKofi  ^HBHJIH3a^iII. 
MYPABLEBI).—  Ho^Biini  CoJIOBe^KO^I  06iiTejiii. 
MaKOTHHI).—  npOTonon-B  AsBaKyMt.     C.-H.,  1893. 
NIEUHOF,  JAN.—  Het  Gezantschap.     (Pub.  Amsterdam,  1665.) 
NIEUNSTAD,  N.—  Reis-beschryvinge  van  Polen,  etc.    (Pub.  1  699. 
HEBOJtLCHHTx—  noKOpenie  Cutfiipii. 
HEBOCKJIOHOBT).—  Haiajio  Bopi>6Li  CjiaBan^  ct 
HECTOPI>,— 


LIST   OF  AUTHORITIES  369 

HHKOJILCKIH.—  KpaiKoe  06o3pi>Hie. 

OEOJIEHCKIH,  KH.  —  YKasaiejn,  rocy.a.apcTBeHHLix'L  rpauoib  11 


MocKBa,  1856. 
ToxTaMiiuia.     Kasant,  1850. 
„  —  C6opHHK'B.     MocKBa,  1838. 

OLEARIUS,  ADAM.  —  Des  Weltbertihmten  Adami  Olearii  Colligirte 

und  viel  vermehrte  Reise-Beschreibungen.      (Pub.  1696.) 
OUSELEY,  W.  (SiR).—  The  Oriental  Geography  of  Ibn  Haukal. 
PAGE,  W.   S.  —  The   Russia   Company  from    1553-1660.     (Pub. 

London,  1911.) 

PETREUS,  PEER.—  Historienbericht.     (Pub.  1620.) 
PHILEMONOV.—  Taube  and  Kruse. 

PIERLING,  P.—  Rome  et  Demetrius.     (Pub.  Paris,  1878.) 
PLANO-CARPINI,    JOHANNES    DE.  —  The    Voyages   of,    unto    the 
Northeast  parts  of  the  world  in  the  yeere  of  our  Lord  1  246. 
(From  Hakluyt's  "  Principal  Navigations.") 
PURCHAS.—  His  Pilgrimes.     (Pub.  1625.) 
HPOXOPOBl).—  XpHCTiancKia  ^peBHocxir.     1862. 

„  —  PyccKia  ^pesnocTH.     1871. 

RAMBAUD,  A.   N.—  L'Empire  Grec   au   dixieme  siecle.     (Pub. 

Paris,  1870.) 

REMUSAT.  —  Recherches  sur  les  langues  Tartars. 
RERUM  ROSSICARUM.—  Scriptores  Exteri. 
RITTER,  C.—  Allgemeine  Erdkunde. 
ROUSSEL,    WILLIAM.  —  The    Reports    of   a    bloudie    and    terrible 

Massacre  in  the  Citty  of  Mosco.     (Pub.  London,  1607.) 
RUBRUQUIS,  WILLIAM  DE.  —  The  Journal  of  frier,  a  French  man 
of  the  Order  of  the  Minorite  Friars,  unto  the  East  parts  of 
the   world,    An.   D.    1253.      (From    Hakluyt's    "Principal 
Navigations.") 

SAFARIK.—  Slavische  Alterthiimer. 
CAftOBHHKOBT).—  HaniH  3eMJieiipoxojmH. 
CBOPHHK/B      MOCKOBCKArO      TJIABHArO      APXHBA 
MHHHCTEPCTBA        HHOCTPAHHHX^ 
MocKBa,  1893. 

B  B 


370  LIST   OF  AUTHORITIES 

0113061).  —  KypraiiH  CMOJiencKoS  ry6epHin. 

COJ^ATEHKOB^.—  Co6pame  HHCGM-L  IJapji  AjreKcta  Mnxaft- 
jOBH^a.     MocKBa,  1856. 

COJIOBLEBt.  —  PyccKaa  JliionHct.    C.-II.,  1911. 
HcTOpia  Poccin. 

CPE3HEBCKIH.—  CKaaaum  o  CB.  Bopuclj  H  r^M. 

CyEEOTHH'L.  —  JUjTonnci,      nponcxoji.flmHX'b      BT,       PacKOJ* 

Co6HTiS.     MocKBa,  1871. 
THOU,  MONSIEUR  DE.  —  History  of  his  own  Time.     (Pub.  London, 

1620.) 
TOLSTOI,  YURI.  —  The  first  fourty  years  of  intercourse  between 

England  and  Russia,  1553-93. 
TURBERVILLE,  G.—  Certaine  letters  written  in  verse  by  Master 

George  -  out  of  Moscovia  in   1568.     (Pub.  by  Hakluyt 

Society.) 

TATHHJEBI).  —  HcTopin     Poccin     C-B    cannxt 

1768. 


THXOHPABOBTD.  —  Boflpuna  Mopososa.      PyccKift   B$CTHHK'L 
Cenx.     1865. 


YH^OJILCKIH.—  CjiaBaHO-PyccKia  PyKonncn. 

yCTPi)IJIOB'L.  —  CKasanifl  CoBpeneHHHKOB'B  o  ^HMiiipin  CaMO- 
3BaH^'fe.     C.-H.,  1832. 

).—  PyccKie  CBJiTHe. 

).  —  IlaMflTHiiKH  Pyccnaro  Mysefl.    MocKBa,  1849. 

„  —  C6opHHK^b  06ni,ecTBa  J^peBne-PyccKaro   Hc- 

EyccTsa   npn    MocKOBCKOMt   IIy6jinqHOMt 
Myae-fe  sa  1866  r. 

„  —  Oniicanie  CKia^na  XVI.     1884.     C.-H. 

XAJLAHCKIH.  —  KbKHo-CjraBHHCKia  CKasania. 

.—  H;apL  Bacmig  IHyfiCKia.    MocKBa,  1910. 


YVO  OF  NARBONA.—  Part  of  an  Epistle  by  one  Yvo  of  Nar- 
bona,  recorded  by  Mathew  Paris  in  the  yeare  of  our  Lord 
1243.  (Hakluyt's  "Principal  Navigations,"London,  1600.) 


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